Tales of the River Man

Of all the threats to our rivers and water supplies, pollution has to be the most dangerous, with the potential to wipe out whole eco-systems.

Swalecliff Brook near Whitstable, Newmill Chanel near Tenterden and Shinewater Lake near Eastbourne are just three of our waterways to be hit by pollution in the last five years.

But who is responsible? And is anyone now prepared to take care of the precious resources that have sustained us, and wildlife, for centuries? Andy Dickenson reports.

It's the one resource we can't live without, yet here in the south east we have less water available per person than in Morocco or even Egypt.

So what does that mean for our rivers? In first of three reports, we've visited the River Ouse in Sussex with a man who's watched over it all his life to find out how it's coping with the pressures of over-use, pollution and climate change.

Andy Dickenson reports and speaks to former River Bailiff Jim Smith, Mayor of Lewes Cllr Susan Murray and Chris Wick from the Environment Agency.