THE Mersey was once so polluted that a canoeist has told how he was accompanied on his first trip by a floating cow's head.

It had probably been thrown in from an abattoir, and was a good example of the sort of debris with which the historic waterway was then cluttered.

But it has vastly improved since that disturbing journey 15 years ago, says Chris Cleaver, regional access officer from Canoe England.

He gives a personal insight into his life on the river as part of a stunning new touring exhibition and book retelling the story of the historic waterway.

`Mersey: The River That Changed The World' covers its 70-mile meandering course from its source in central Stockport to the Irish Sea at Liverpool, from ancient times to the present day.

Chris recalls how he fell into the river after his first unnerving experience and was sick next day.

"The Mersey's got a bad reputation because of past pollution," he says. "But it's noticeably cleaner now, and the riverside environment has improved, too."

The exhibition and book chart the river's history from Roman occupation to the Anglo- Saxons, from the slave trade to the Industrial Revolution, from urbanisation to regeneration.

Major contributors to the project, commissioned by the Mersey Basin Campaign, include the late Anthony Wilson, Guardian journalists David Ward and Deborah Mulhearn, the New Scientist's Edwin Collier and conservation specialist Peter De Figueiredo. There are also personal experiences from boat enthusiasts, waterway workers and preservationists.

Their recollections and observations are accompanied by scores of photos by Colin McPherson, who has also produced portraits of people who live and work on or near the Mersey.

Mr Wilson says: "Every phase of my life has been touched, sprinkled religiously perhaps, by the waters of the River Mersey."

Mr De Figueiredo provides a historical account, while Mr Ward journeys along its banks from source to sea. Publican Dave Hall, who runs Jackson's Boat in Sale, also gives an individualistic account.

The exhibition is launched on Thursday December 6 in the Grand Hall at the Albert Dock, before coming to Sale Waterside, Manchester Museum of Science and Industry and Stockport Art Gallery.

The book, published by Bluecoat Press, is available from this month at £17.99. Tweet