River Alt

The River Alt is in Merseyside, England.

The Alt runs from Hag Plantation in Huyton at 125ft (40m), through Croxteth Park, roughly follows the M57 motorway south of Kirkby, then flows north of Aintree and south of Maghull. From there to Formby it forms the boundary between the counties of Merseyside and Lancashire. It then runs south of Formby and empties into the Irish Sea, near the edge of the Mersey estuary where it marks the northern end of Crosby Beach.

The banks of the river are lined by villages with names of Viking origin.

The estuary forms part of the Ribble and Alt Estuaries Special Protection Area for wildlife.

Both the Grand National at Aintree Racecourse and the Waterloo Cup in hare coursing at Great Altcar are associated with the River Alt watershed.

ettlements

*Hightown
*Formby
*Great Altcar
*Ince Blundell
*Maghull
*Aintree
*Melling
*Waddicar
*Kirkby
*Knowsley
*Croxteth
*West Derby
*Huyton

Tributaries

*Downholland Brook
**New Cut
**Bull Cop
**Sandy Brook
***Old Canal
**Fine Jane's Brook
**Leather Barrow's Ditch
***Cheshire Lines Brook
**Barton Brook
**Chisnall Brook
***Rough Brook
*Arnold's Cop
*Main Sluice
**Tongues Watercourse
**Withins Watercourse
*Lydiate Brook
**Carr Sluice
*Maghull Hey Cop
**Carr Sluice
*Hunt's Brook
*Maghull Brook
*St. Helen's Gutter (as the Alt is known between Aintree and Maghull)
*Dover's Brook
**Whinny Brook
*Harrison's Brook
*Netherton's Brook
*Kirkby Brook
*Knowsley Brook

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/4675220.stm Firm fined for sewage pollution]
* [http://www.therrc.co.uk/pdf/manual/MAN_3_4.pdf River Rehabilitation Scheme at Huyton]
* [http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/10006575/ABSTRACT?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 River rehabilitation in an urban environment: examples from the Mersey Basin, North West England]
* [http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/regions/northwest/850243/870762/611337/?lang=_e The River Alt flood management review]