THREE neighbours in Dinder, near Wells, whose homes overlook the Leat that runs along the main street, were concerned about the amount of duckweed building up in the water.
The Leat is an artificial watercourse built many years ago to divert water from the River Sheppey as it comes in to Dinder, and using the man-made drop to power a water mill close to The Old Rectory.
The very dry conditions in July had caused the flow of water to slow down to a trickle. Quite apart from the unnatural look of the thick carpet of weeds on the water, the local wildlife was being deprived of oxygen and food.
Heather and Ron Snipp and Brian Caddick reported that dead sticklebacks had been seen, and the swallows, kingfishers and bats which normally drink from the Leat were all absent. In the recent past, ducks, moorhens and even the occasional heron have also been seen.
The three neighbours sent an email out on a Sunday afternoon, and there was such an immediate and enthusiastic response that by 2pm the next day a working party of 18 villagers had assembled, ready to do battle with the blockages and armed only with rakes, sieves and an improvised boom.
Two hours of hard graft later the Leat was clear, and water could be heard gurgling over the weirs again. Best of all, later the same evening Brian saw swallows swooping down to drink, and two wagtails looking for insects at one of the weirs.
The following day, and by complete coincidence, a representative of the Environment Agency happened to be passing through Dinder to inspect the Leat and was delighted with what had been achieved.
So a little haven for wildlife is restored.