A FISH pass is planned for the weir at the bottom of Mill Street in Ludlow.

The scheme is part of a major programme of work by the Severn Rivers Trust to make it easier for fish to return to their spawning grounds at the top of the River Teme.

A fish pass was built at Dinham Weir in 2012 at a cost of £240,000 and this was followed by one at Lingen that also cost more than £200,000.

It is now hoped that the pass at Mill Street can be constructed during the summer of 2015. Grants of £80,000 have been pledged from the European Fisheries Fund together with £70,000 from the Cita Trust.

Tony Bostock, chief executive of the Severn Rivers Trust, said that with £155,000 already committed it is hoped that the remainder of the funding can be secured in time for work to begin this year.

A fish pass takes about two months to build but the work has to be done in the summer when river flows are at their lowest.

Although the main beneficiaries of the passes are salmon, that do not feed in fresh water, they are also used by other fish.

“It is especially important for the salmon because as they do not feed after they enter fresh water their energy gets depleted,” said Mr Bostock.

“We have a number of weirs on the river and build the passes in priority order so that the most difficult obstacles for the fish are tackled first.”

It is hoped that an underwater camera that has been purchased will also be installed at Dinham Weir this summer enabling images of fish moving upstream to be shown in the Cafe On The Green and on the Severn Rivers Trust website.

But if it cannot be done this year the plan is that it will be installed in 2016.

The run of salmon up the River Teme happens every autumn.