Residents of a Cambridgeshire village are worried that their river may soon dry up.
In Linton and the Pocket Park Nature Reserve on the outskirts of the village, the River Granta flows.
The River Cam tributary's rare chalk stream has recently experienced low water levels.
According to the local volunteer organization Linton Friends of the River Granta (Frog), levels are already at their lowest point since the end of last summer.
According to Helen Brookes, chair of Frog, this chalk stream is one of only 200 in the world, with the majority located in the south-east of England.
It supports numerous fish and insect species and receives its water from springs that emerge from submerged aquifers.
Ten months ago, the East of England was officially classified as being in a drought, which contributed to the current low water levels.
There used to be a trickle of water flowing underneath a pipe that crosses the chalk stream in the normal course of things.
This, according to Ms. Brookes, "shows the river level has decreased significantly in the last few weeks.".
It is unlikely that the recent thunderstorms and flooding will aid in river replenishment.
In the long run, it most certainly won't help. Instead of just these flash floods that follow a heatwave, we need more rainfall throughout the year, she said.
Although the region's rivers benefited from the rain in March, April, and the beginning of May, late May and June have been much drier, according to an Environment Agency spokesperson.
"The Environment Agency and partners are closely observing the present circumstance and will continue to take appropriate action to protect the environment when necessary.". ".
In order to clean up the banks and clear the river bed of trash and preserve it, Linton Frog organizes litter-picking activities.
"We all need to do our part to reduce the amount of water we use, to make the most of the water we do use, and to keep it clean," Ms. Brookes said.
It was here thousands of years ago, long before any of us arrived.
It would be nice to know or hope that it will keep flowing through the village the way it has.
"We are fortunate to have this stunning, natural, and uncommon chalk stream.
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