Water voles brought back to river after 20 years

Water voles are being reintroduced to the River Wey in Farnham after a 20-year absence from the area.

About 300 of the animals have been released into the river in the town centre as part of a wider project to help the species recover, after it became Britain's fastest declining mammal because of habitat loss and predation, the National Trust said.

The release in Surrey on Monday was led by the National Trust and Environment Agency, alongside local groups and volunteers.

The species, immortalised as "Ratty" in The Wind in the Willows, has been locally extinct for two decades said David Elliott, National Trust lead ranger for South Downs West.

He said: "This wonderful little animal is making a comeback and we couldn't be more delighted than to share that with the people of Farnham.

"The water vole is a species that used to be common. The disappearance of the rare is what often grabs people's attention, but the disappearance of the common is what we should all care about."

Conservationists said the aim was to restore a sustainable population of water voles along the River Wey, from its source on Black Down in the South Downs National Park to Weybridge on the Thames.

Paul Davy, Environment Agency River Wey catchment coordinator, described it as a vital project and said the water vole was "a much-loved native species and ecosystem engineer that has been absent from the Wey catchment for many years".

Volunteer and Farnham resident Libby Ralph remembers seeing water voles in the 1980s.

In 2014-15, she helped with a county-wide survey, but said: "We searched diligently but very sadly concluded that water voles were functionally extinct in Surrey."

She said: "I have hoped since that moment that one day we'd be able to return them to the River Wey."

This is the second release of water voles after a first group were introduced near Haslemere last August.

More are planned over the coming year, with early evidence suggesting initial populations established successfully.

Water voles play an important role in riverside biodiversity, providing food for species such as barn owls and otters, while their grazing helps reshape habitats and create space for rare plants, the National Trust said.