Excess fine sediment (particles <2mm) is a global stressor affecting freshwater biodiversity. A range of environmental and biological controls govern the ecological implications of fine sediment within river systems. However, little consideration has been given to how large scale spatial controls and temporal variability may influence the effect of fine sedimentation on biological communities. We assessed the applicability of the river typology approach (centred on the broad spatial controls of geology and altitude) at the national scale (England and Wales) in characterising invertebrate community responses to the deposited fine sediment gradient. We also considered the role of sampling season (spring or autumn). We observed that mid-altitude rivers displayed a much lower community threshold of fine sediment deposition before the majority of community change occurred whilst lowland rivers were more tolerant for both taxonomic and functional change. We found that the response to deposited fine sediment is non-linear, which can be characterized effectively by river typologies and most notably altitude groupings.