Messing about with the river: water firms accused of draining the Cam dry

Cambridge punting idyll disguises crisis in flow of chalk streams, campaigners warn

It's a beautiful day on the river Cam in Cambridge. As the sun sparkles on the water at Jesus Green lock, tourists line up for ice-cream and prepare to take a punt around the university's most celebrated colleges. Few notice how pathetic the flow of water is over the lock.

It is a clear sign that this ancient waterway is faring badly, says Stephen Tomkins, emeritus fellow and former head of the science faculty at Homerton College. "That little bit running through here is the total flow from the whole of south Cambridgeshire," he says, pointing at an unimpressive trickle. There just is not enough water, he adds: "The river Cam is drying up."

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