Volunteers fear that without more rain “thousands of fish” may need saving from a much-loved river.

The River Chess Association has warned water levels “are dropping away fast” following an exceptionally dry 12 months.

While the worst areas so far are upstream near Chesham, the group is expecting far more fish to be stranded in the coming months if the situation does not improve.

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River Chess Association chairman Paul Jennings said: “It has been exceptionally dry.

“We had two average months, December and February, but every other month rainfall has been below average for the last 12 months.

"We will always see some level of drying, but this is particularly bad.

“It now seems like the inevitable has happened and areas might dry up completely.”

With waters in parts of the upper Chess reduced to just a trickle, fish need to be moved downstream to areas nearer Croxley Green and Rickmansworth where there is still a more reliable flow.

Yesterday volunteers took buckets to rescue fish which had become trapped at Amy Mill in Chesham, and warned they expect to do this more in the coming days.

Mr Jennings, who is a farmer and chairs the association part-time, added: “When we get a drying event, the fish find themselves stranded or puddled up and then we have an inordinate amount of fish together.

“We could have to pull buckets and buckets, with thousands of fish, out.

“At the moment we only had to pull 50 out yesterday but we anticipate larger events.

“We have volunteers who look out and help.

“When there’s a major event they call the environment agency, who respond well to fish issues and are a class act.”

As well as weather and environmental issues, diminishing water levels have been blamed on the water companies.

The 65-year-old said: “Normally what we see is abstraction causes these lower levels.

Watford Observer: River Chess fish. Picture: River Chess AssociationRiver Chess fish. Picture: River Chess Association (Image: River Chess Association)

“Abstraction by Thames Water is set to end from 2024 and they have to find an alternative source to reduce the drying.

“Affinity Water already stopped around the Chesham and River Chess area in 2020.

“We have already seen stronger flows downstream of Chesham, near Rickmansworth.”

Watford Observer: Water levels in Chesham. Picture: Chess River Association Water levels in Chesham. Picture: Chess River Association (Image: Chess River Association)

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