{{Infobox SSSI |image= River Mease - geograph.org.uk - 428104.jpg |image_caption = |name= River Mease |aos= Leicestershire<br>Staffordshire |interest=Biological |gridref={{gbmappingsmall| SK 264 119 }}<ref name=dsv/> |area= {{convert| 23.0|ha|acre|abbr=off}}<ref name=dsv/> |notifydate= 2000<ref name=dsv/> |map=[http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%272000416%27 ''Magic Map''] }} '''River Mease SSSI''' is a {{convert|23.0 |ha|acre|abbr=off}} biological [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]]. It is a stretch of the [[River Mease]] and its tributary Gilwiskaw Brook, running between [[Alrewas]] in [[Staffordshire]] and [[Packington]] in [[Leicestershire]].<ref name=dsv>{{cite web|url= https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteDetail.aspx?SiteCode=S2000416&SiteName=mease&countyCode=&responsiblePerson=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea= |title=Designated Sites View: River Mease | series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|accessdate = 14 November 2017}}</ref><ref name=map>{{cite web|url=http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%272000416%27 |title=Map of River Mease|series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|accessdate=14 November 2017}}</ref> It is also a [[Special Area of Conservation]]<ref>{{cite web|url= https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteGeneralDetail.aspx?SiteCode=UK0030258&SiteName=mease&countyCode=&responsiblePerson=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea= |title=Designated Sites View: River Mease | series= Special Area of Conservation|publisher=Natural England|accessdate =8 August 2017}}</ref> The river goes through private land, but it is crossed by roads and footpaths.
The River Mease rises near the village of [[Norton Juxta Twycross]] in [[North West Leicestershire]]. It flows westwards for approximately 16 miles (25 km), largely through agricultural land, to its confluence with the [[River Trent]] at [[Croxall]] in [[Staffordshire]].<ref name=CEHmap>{{cite web|url= http://www.ceh.ac.uk/data/nrfa/data/search_region_midlands.html |title= National River Flow Archive - Map |publisher= Centre for Ecology and Hydrology |accessdate=7 May 2014}}</ref> The SSSI includes a range of habitats including riffles, pools, slacks, vegetated margins and variable amounts of bankside tree cover. The site also includes part of the fast-flowing Gilwiskaw Brook.<ref name=SSSI/>
The river has nationally significant populations of two species of freshwater fish, the [[spined loach]] and the [[European bullhead|bullhead]]. Vegetation is sparse in the upper reaches as the stream is fast-flowing, but there are stands of floating sweet-grass, and the gravel areas provide favourable conditions for the bullhead to spawn. The freshwater white-clawed crayfish [[Austropotamobius pallipes]] is also found in the river as is the [[Eurasian otter|otter]], both having a restricted range in the East Midlands.<ref name=SSSI/>
Aquatic flora is more varied in the lower reaches, where the river flows slowly across a flood plain. Here the marginal vegetation includes [[Schoenoplectus lacustris|common club-rush]], [[Glyceria fluitans|floating sweet-grass]], [[Phalaris arundinacea|reed canary-grass]], [[Sparganium erectum|branched bur-reed]], [[Carex riparia|greater pond sedge]] and [[Typha latifolia|bulrush]]. Submerged aquatic vegetation includes [[Ranunculus fluitans|river water-crowfoot]], [[Ranunculus aquatilis|common water-crowfoot]], [[Potamogeton obtusifolius|blunt-leaved pondweed]], [[Stuckenia pectinata|fennel pondweed]], [[Sagittaria sagittifolia|arrowhead]] and [[Nuphar lutea|yellow water-lily]].<ref name=SSSI>{{cite web|url= https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/PDFsForWeb/Citation/2000416.pdf |title=River Mease citation|series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|accessdate=24 March 2020}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}} {{commons category|River Mease SSSI}}
{{coord| 52.704|-1.592 |type:landmark_region:GB-BNE|display=title}} {{SSSIs Leicestershire }} [[Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Leicestershire]] [[Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Staffordshire]]