THE plight of two Comet country rivers is to be discussed at a public meeting tomorrow morning(Thursday). The World Wildlife Fund is holding the event at Tewin Bury Farm Hotel near Welwyn, from 10am to noon where specialists will talk about the future of the Mimram and Be

THE plight of two Comet country rivers is to be discussed at a public meeting tomorrow morning(Thursday).

The World Wildlife Fund is holding the event at Tewin Bury Farm Hotel near Welwyn, from 10am t noon where specialists will talk about the future of the Mimram and Beane rivers, which the conservation organisation says are both in danger of drying out due to over abstraction by water companies.

The meeting has been called to launch a WWF report, Riverside Tales, released this week that looks at the future of the UK's tributaries and the wildlife dependent on them. The Mimram, which rises at Whitwell, and Beane, in Stevenage, are highlighted as two of the most endangered in the country.

Rose Timlett, freshwater policy manager at WWF-UK, said: "All the water we use is taken from the natural environment, and as water scarcity becomes a bigger issue in the UK, the framework for how we manage water resources in England and Wales must be changed. Reducing unsustainable abstraction will require strong leadership from government, water regulators and water companies. The future does not look bright for the Mimram and the Beane.