Feature: City center hotel where guests can put up "Gone Fishing" sign

A few years ago it was described as one of the most polluted rivers in Europe, a waterway where even the toughest fish would struggle to survive.

Now the tide has turned for the River Irwell, which separates the northern England industrial cities of Manchester and Salford.

An up-market, five-star hotel, favored by pop music stars and football legends such as Manchester United's Wayne Rooney, is now offering guests the chance to enjoy fly fishing for trout. The luxury hotel occupies a site on the banks of the Irwell.

The transformation of the once neglected River Irwell follows a massive clean-up operation, backed by the government's Environment Agency and the regional utilities provider, United Utilities. They have invested tens of millions of dollars to make the river cleaner and less polluted.

Work has involved updating waste water treatment plants, improving sewer systems to prevent polluted water escaping into the river.

This year, United Utilities is spending 20 million U.S dollars on more work along the river, proclaiming "the fish in the Irwell will be happy."

Like a thin thread of water, the river is overlooked by high rise buildings, some modern, others dating back to the past two centuries. Despite being at the epicenter of a bustling industrial inland metropolis, the Irwell has again become a wildlife haven.

As well as brown trout, the river is home to other species such as grayling, roach, perch, bream and pike, and the river bank attracts wildlife such as kingfishers and otters.

It has prompted Adrian Ellis, general manager of the Lowry Hotel, built on the banks of the Irwell, to offer guests the chance to enjoy trout fishing literally the the front door of the city centre hotel. He has recruited champion fisherman John Tyzack to introduce guests to fly fishing.

Tyazck, a qualified advanced game fishing instructor, is a member of the oldest angling club in the world, Salford Friendly Anglers which celebrates its 200th birthday in 2017.

He commented: "The Irwell now hosts a wide variety of fish and other wildlife. I'm really looking forward to showing hotel guests the delightful fishing spots."

The hotel's Ellis said: "Guests are increasingly coming from all four corners of the world and expect top-class packages. They can now enjoy superb fishing trips. The River Irwell is such a marvelous asset and we want to celebrate its rejuvenation."

The angling club's secretary Mike Duddy welcomed the cleaner river. He commented: "For the first time in almost 200 years, the Irwell is now clean enough to support a good stock of fish. We welcome the hotel's package as it helps us to raise the profile of the River Irwell as a leisure facility."

The River Irwell, 63 km in length, flows from the moorlands to the north of Manchester and eventually empties into one of Britain's best known waterways, the River Mersey. During the Industrial Revolution it was an important transportation route, but became so polluted by industrial discharges from factories along the course of the river. Endit