Heavy horses have been brought in to help with work experts hope will improve the water quality of the River Yare on the edge of Norwich.

The chalk stream, close to the University of East Anglia, has had a range of work done to benefit wildlife and make the water quality better.

Woody debris from trees was stacked along the riverbank to create what are known as brash berms.

The material was brought to the Yare Valley site using heavy horses, to reduce the need for heavy machinery and reduce the project's carbon footprint.

Eastern Daily Press: The River YareThe River Yare (Image: Adrian Judd)

READ MORE: Norwich River Wensum probe over possible illegal sewage

The brash berms will narrow the river and get it back to a more natural state, after it was historically altered to help with milling.

They will also improve water quality by trapping sediment, while wood was also used to create areas with differing velocities of flow.

That will provide wet and dry areas to help aquatic invertebrates and riverside wildflowers thrive.

READ MORE: OBE for Norfolk chalk stream conservationist

Areas of refuge for fish were also created, to give them shelter during high river flows and to hide from predators.

Eastern Daily Press: Work to improve the River Yare near the University of East AngliaWork to improve the River Yare near the University of East Anglia (Image: Norfolk Rivers Trust)

The project was carried out by the Environment Agency, Norfolk Rivers Trust and Norwich City Council.

READ MORE: Norfolk's 'dying' rivers 'need extra protection'

Sarah Gelpke, project officer at Norfolk Rivers Trust, said: "This stretch of the Yare was historically modified, leaving steep riverbanks, a very slow flow and patches of deep silt.

Eastern Daily Press: The River YareThe River Yare (Image: Dan Grimmer)

"We’re delighted to see the flow hydrology is already improving because of this work, and we will continue to monitor the site to track the improvement to habitat quality, as well as the broader impact of the project on wildlife and movement of sediment."

It is estimated 85pc of the world’s chalk streams are in England - around 29pc of them in East Anglia.

The quality of Norfolk's water came under the spotlight recently, when county councillors quizzed Anglian Water bosses over storm overflow discharges.