River Keekle

In the 1980s, Oatlands became part of the extensive open cast coal mining operation working from Keekle Head.

There was strong opposition to the proposal to put radioactive waste in the site of the former open cast mine from Radiation Free Lakeland[2] and others.

Over the years, this plastic liner began to degrade and break up, with pieces being washed downstream, creating blockages, localised flooding and plastic pollution in the River Keekle, as well as posing a threat to the downstream River Ehen – a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation.

During 2019 and 2020, the West Cumbria Rivers Trust carried out a £1.5 million project to remove the plastic liner and restore the riverbed with funding from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development's Water Environment Grant and the Environment Agency's River Restoration Programme.

Some of the plastic has been made into a bench and picnic table at Walkmill Community Woodland car park to mark the project's success.