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Bulk freight transport on the River Severn

Cemex (previously RMC Aggregates) have constructed wharfs on the east bank of the River Severn at Ripple Quarry, near the M50 Bridge and at the Ryall House Farm Quarry, near Upton to facilitate river transport of sand and gravel aggregate between the two localities.

Ripple, immediately south of the M50 motorway bridge, is the main extraction site for the sand and gravel.

The photograph shows the loading wharf for the quarry.

From here the aggregate is taken upstream by canal barge some 2 miles to the processing plant at Ryall.		rmc aggregates cemex wharf at Ripple. (c) severn-boating


A motorised hopper barge being loaded with aggregate at Ripple.

The M 50 motorway bridge is in the background.

Four barges named 'Perch', 'Pike', 'Chub' and the very large 'Transient' are involved.		hopper barge loading aggregates at Cemex wharf at Ripple. (c) severn-boating
cemex aggregates landing stage at Ryall. (c) severn-boatingThe landing stage near Ryall on the east bank of the River Severn just south of Upton upon Severn.

The Ryall site contains plant to process and screen the sand and gravel which is carried from the wharf by conveyor belt through a white tunnel.


A proportion of the processed aggregate is then transported back downstream by barge to the Cemex ready mix concrete site on the Sharpness canal near Gloucester.  The scheme is being subsidised by a Government Freight Facilities Grant.

cemex sand and gravel barges on the river severn

The transport of sand and gravel by river/canal barge takes a large number of lorry loads off the local roads.

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Acknowledgement:
Background information for this page has been derived from the archives of the 'This is Worcestershire' news site.