Campaigners working to save the river Ivel from drying up and being lost forever say now is the "last chance to save our Cinderella chalk stream".

The Ivel, which rises in Baldock and runs through Stotfold, Arlesey and Henlow, is one of only about 200 chalk streams in the world, with around 10 per cent in Hertfordshire. Species like water vole, wild brown trout and mayflies depend solely on these chalk streams to survive in the county.

RevIvel is a community group formed in 2019 to help protect the future of the Ivel. Historically of sufficient depth to be teaming with fish while also supporting four watermills, breweries and a watercress industry, in recent years it has become a trickle of its former self.

RevIvel has repeatedly challenged Affinity Water over abstraction concerns, and worked with North East Herts MP Sir Oliver Heald, who helped set up an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Chalk Streams focused on promoting environmental good practice, centred on sustainable flows and sensitive land management.

Kathryn Mackenzie, for RevIvel, said: "The river Ivel is much-enjoyed by the community and is vital for biodiversity. Sadly, it risks being lost forever due to over-abstraction. This year already, the water level is very low. Time is fast running out."

Affinity Water, which does not take water directly from the Ivel, but from the chalk aquifer deep underground, says it plans to reduce abstractions from groundwater by over 623,000 litres per day by 2025.

It is part of Water Resource South East - an alliance of six water companies currently developing a plan to secure water supplies in the South East up until 2100.

Independent chair, Chris Murray, said: “The South East faces the most severe pressure on its water supplies of any region of the country. It is warmer, more densely populated, and the home of iconic chalk streams we are seeking to preserve.

"The climate emergency is and will continue to have a profound impact on our water environment, so this plan aims to mitigate that through a long-term programme of investment."

Kathryn said: "Expert help is needed to get our chalk stream onto Affinity Water’s priority abstraction reduction list. It is vital to be heard now."

RevIvel is hoping to raise £2,000 by March 31 to fund this expert help.

To make a donation, or to join RevIvel for £10 a year, visit revivel.org, where you can also find information about upcoming events.

A spokesman for Affinity Water said: “We are absolutely focused on helping to protect our globally rare chalk streams. We do this through river restorations, reducing the amount of water we take from chalk groundwater, reducing leakage and working directly with customers to help them use less water.

“We know more needs to be done to help protect our local environment, whilst making sure we continue to maintain the essential service of supplying high-quality water to our communities. This is why we joined forces with other South East water companies to produce the first ever emerging regional plan for water, which includes a number of options to create new sources of water for the region. We welcome RevIvel’s participation in the regional plan consultation and would encourage everyone to take part.

“We are working to revitalise the river Ivel by supporting the river with groundwater and improving the chalk stream characteristics through a river restoration scheme.

“We have engaged with RevIvel every step of the way - from proposal to developing designs - and will continue to engage until the works are complete. We’ve offered them monitoring equipment, shared the science and data we base our decisions on, answered their questions, and regularly meet with them to keep them informed of what we are doing. Their passion for the Ivel is commendable and is a passion we share so the community can enjoy their local environment now and in the future.

“Working together is key to improving and maintaining chalk streams.

“We are playing our part, but we all have a role to play by using water more efficiently. We would like to thank over 180,000 of our customers who have signed up to the Save Our Streams campaign to receive free water-saving devices, free home water efficiency checks and to receive tailored water-saving advice. Find out more and join the movement at saveourstreams.co.uk.”