River that ran black is now a top fishing spot

Ten rivers in England and Wales have shrugged off their industrial past to become havens for wildlife, walkers and anglers again.

The Environment Agency's 10 most-improved rivers range from the Wandle in South London, officially declared a sewer in the 1960s but now one of the best urban coarse fisheries in the country, to the Taff in South Wales, which once ran black with coal but is now an international match-fishing destination.

The River Stour in Worcestershire has now improved so much that salmon and otters have returned, while the River Thames has had a more remarkable renaissance.

The transformation has been achieved thanks to thousands of habitat-improvement projects and tighter regulations.