UK's oldest trout farm in Bibury loses 25,000 fish due to low water levels after drought

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Staff at Britain's oldest working trout farm say up to 25,000 fish have died at the centre due to a lack of rainfall.

Springs which usually provide water at the farm in Bibury in the Cotswolds have dried up due to the drought. 

The springs used to produce 200 litres of water every second - but it has produced nothing since the summer.

Business manager Angus Hay said: "Obviously we’ve had some extreme temperatures which trout don’t like, so all of that to put together amounts to a lot of stress on the fish and it’s put the staff and the farmers under an enormous amount of pressure causing a lot of stress for them and the business."

The trout farm is now relying on Thames Water to top levels up from a nearby pumping station.

As many as 25,000 trout have died due to the low water levels

Hatchery manager Peter Wood told ITV News West Country: "It’s not been particularly reliable and it turns on and off all the time, which causes even more problems and makes it even harder to plan for anything."

The attraction pulls in up to 70,000 tourists a year, which is helping to keep the business afloat.

But unless there is plenty of rain over the winter, staff fear for its future.

A Thames Water spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we are supplying the trout farm with water from our nearby Bibury Pumping Station in order to supplement their water supplies.

"We would like to apologise for any instances of intermittent supply and can confirm we are working to improve the situation.”