 In the 1950s when the pollution was at its worst, the Trent River Board stated that "in the Stoke-on-Trent area, reaches of the Trent and the Fowlea brook were considered to be a potential danger to public health".The brook was then the most heavily polluted stream in the Potteries, and devoid of any fish.The improvements that were subsequently made to the brook mean that it is classed as having moderate ecological quality under the Water Framework Directive.