The name comes from the name of a village, given in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Alre (which in turn comes from the Old English word alor, "alder").

Originally the brook took a meandering course through this marshy area, but in the 1980s it was forced to run alongside the A380 road in a straight channel.

This is in the upper band in the five-part framework scale, which ranges from high, good, and moderate, through to poor and finally bad.

[6] The recent construction of the Kingskerswell bypass along the Aller valley, required various environmental measures to be included due to the local wildlife.

This included the construction of a specially designed tunnel for otters, which will help them navigate beneath the new carriageway when their normal routes, such as culverts are flooded and inaccessible due to high brook levels.