Funding has been agreed for three river restoration projects in West Sussex.

Chichester District Council (CDC) is to invest £180,000 over the next three years on protecting rare habitats on the rivers Lavant, Ems and Hambrook.

The projects, which are being managed by the Western Sussex Rivers Trust, will focus on restoring the natural function in the river channels, tackling invasive non-native species and river re-meandering.

The council said it was funding “critical work”.

The three waterways are among only 283 chalk streams and rivers in the world, according to CDC.