THE lake and river at Croome Park, near Upton, will be returned to their original splendour as part of the ongoing restoration of the National Trust property.

Work is due to begin in May to drain and dredge the man-made lake and river and rid it of pollution.

Clare Joynes, business services assistant at the park, said the water level was dropping and the river and lake were both badly overgrown.

When they were constructed, drains were put in all over the site. Since then, water from farmland has drained into the lake, bringing the nitrates used in modern farming with it.

The pollution has led to an abundance of algae on the water's surface, giving the water a brown, sludgy appearance.

"The aim is to restore the water quality to what it was in the 18th Century," said Ms Joynes.

"It will look like tap water and be very clear and very pure."

As part of the work, wetlands will be formed on the outskirts of the site, creating wildlife habitats and working as a water purification system.

Ms Joynes estimated that it would take four years to establish the wetlands, which will be the first of their kind in England.

The restoration has been funded by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, as well as a gift from Royal & SunAlliance.

Croome Park, the former seat of the Earls of Coventry, was 'Capability' Brown's first complete landscape, making his reputation and establishing a new style of parkland design which became universally adopted. The elegant park buildings and other structures are mostly by Robert Adam and James Wyatt. The National Trust acquired 27 hectares (670 acres) of the park in 1996 with substantial grant aid from the Heritage Lottery Fund.