It was created by building an earth and clay dam across the line of the original river, and flooding a small valley between the villages of South Kilworth and Stanford.

At its north-eastern extremity, the river enters the reservoir via a settling pond and leaves at the other end via a spillway and a specially constructed channel below the dam.

There is a by-pass channel along the northern perimeter, controlled by sluice gates, which allows the water level in the reservoir to be regulated and reduced for repair and maintenance works, and for the flow of water in the river below the dam to be maintained.

[3] The reservoir was enlarged between 1958 and 1959, and now covers an area of approximately 58 hectares (140 acres).

The average width of the reservoir is around 300 metres (980 ft) and the overall length is approximately 1.8 kilometres (1.1 miles).