The river around Staveley has been altered a lot over the decades to meet the needs of industry, including straightening and de-meandering. The original Slitting Mill Weir was several hundred years old, and as the name suggests, it fed water to the nearby slitting mill which slit metal bars into rods. These rods were then passed to other local mills to make nails. The Weir was heavily altered, possibly rebuilt using original stones, around the 1950s for the nearby chemical works. Since these works closed, the weir has had no use, but remained in the river as a barrier to fish and other wildlife. So, in October 2020, after around two years preparation to obtain appropriate permits and planning permission, the weir was removed.