I am pleased that, after a substantial amount of pressure from residents and myself, Yorkshire Water is committing to a serious effort in cleaning up their reservoir on the Ring Road in Farnley on 1st and 30th August. 

The clean up will be led by around 25 Yorkshire Water staff and Team Kirkstall volunteers who have experience of cleaning up the banks of the river Aire in Kirkstall in the aftermath of the 2015 Boxing Day Floods.

Everyone is welcome to participate in cleaning up and equipment will be provided along with tea and biscuits afterwards on both days. 

Local residents have had to persist and wait for some time for this day to come. It is frustrating for people who just want to enjoy what should be a nice space to have to put up with the reservoir being run down and neglected. 

We saw flooding at Wortley Beck on Boxing Day 2015 and the reservoir was designed to alleviate this for nearby properties, so ensuring it is well maintained is important for both aesthetic and practical purposes. 

It is great that Team Kirkstall is getting involved with the clean up of the reservoir as the team have lots of experience of cleaning the riverbank in Kirkstall. 

I hope Yorkshire Water will learn lessons from Farnley Reservoir in listening to people who live near their assets and acting quickly when there are reported problems and concerns.

I now expect and look forward to more regular maintenance of the reservoir so local residents can be proud of it again.