Owners told 'don't let dogs wee' in new water feature

A council is reminding people not to drop rubbish, damage plants or let their dogs wee in a new water feature.

Plymouth City Council has asked people to treat Armada Way's new manmade stream with "kindness" and avoid its planted areas if they want to dip their toes in.

The rill is part of a sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS) which manages rainfall across the city centre's new £30m development.

It is home to reed beds and dragonflies, with its water filtered and recycled to feed 25,000 new plants and 176 new trees. Thousands visited the new-look Armada Way last weekend when it opened after nearly two years work.

The rill works alongside rain gardens, reed beds and underground storage tanks to reduce runoff into the sewer system by up to 77 percent while helping maintain the planting throughout, the Local Democracy Reporting Service has said.

Reiterating the "the rules of the rill" on Facebook, Plymouth City Council wrote: "Please don't drop rubbish in it; please don't let little hands or feet rip out the freshly planted reeds; if you have to dip your toes in please do so away from the plants; dogs can dip paws and take a slurp, but please make sure they don't wee in it!"

It added: "And don't forget there's a whole water jet area to enjoy if you do want to splash around."

The large play area for children includes its own mini stream, pumps and sluice gates as well as the dancing jets.

Plymouth's Armada Way project received over 60 percent of external funding as part of plans to help regenerate the city centre, where thousands of new homes are planned.

Councillors hope the scheme will attract more investment to the city centre.

A masterplan for green spaces, infrastructure and housing is currently being developed.

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