THE quality of rivers in the North West is continuing to improve according to new data released by the Environment Agency.

The research found that 92 per cent of the region's waterways were of good chemical quality in 2003 compared to 74 per cent in 2002.

More than 80 per cent of the River Derwent and its feeder streams throughout Cumbria were among the top chemical class in 2003 - a slight improvement on the 2002 result.