Wiltshire News
Appeal to help save Marlborough river
11:00am Wednesday 22nd February 2012
Just as campaigners for the River Kennet joined Thames Water in appealing to everyone to try to conserve water it was announced by Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman that the area was officially in drought.
She confirmed on Monday that the Kennet, which has dried up west of Marlborough, is among the areas in the West of England that is causing most concern.
This reinforces Thames Water’s case that every drop of water saved by families will help prevent the river suffering even more.
Thames Water, which pumps out millions of litres a day from wells near Marlborough to keep taps running in Swindon and Hungerford, is also joining in.
It has plans to bring a new water supply to Swindon homes from the north of the town instead of from the River Kennet but that will cost £10m and take years to achieve.
The current situation is now said to be even worse than the record drought of 1976.
Under its Care for the Kennet river protection campaign, Thames Water is urging customers in Marlborough, south Swindon and Hungerford to order free water-saving gadgets from the company’s website www.thameswater.co.uk/waterwisely or by calling 0800 358 6665.
The move has been backed by campaign group Action for the River Kennet (ARK), the Angling Trust and World Wildlife Fund UK.
Richard Aylard, sustainability director for Thames Water, said: “We all need to recognise that our water comes from our local river or from the aquifer that feeds that river – the less water we all use, the less we need to take from the river.
“This is not just our problem, it’s everyone’s problem and we can all do our bit to help – for example, turning off taps while we brush our teeth can save six litres of water a minute.”
Charlotte Hitchmough, director of ARK, said: “The Kennet is in a worse state this winter than anyone has ever seen it.
“The upper reaches are dry and many thousands of fish have died.This time of year is spawning season for brown trout, but some of their usual spawning grounds are either dry, or just too shallow for the fish to use.
“It’s heart-breaking to see a river slowly dying.”