A group of residents in Bentham have started a new campaign to protect the interests of the River Wenning. 

Wenning Group leader and Bentham town councillor Leonie Pearce said this was due to the decline of wildlife around the tributary. 

Flowing from the confluence of Clapham and Austwick Beck and joining the Lune near Hornby about 12 miles away as the crow flies, the River Wenning is neither the longest nor most famous river in the area. 

However, Leonie pointed out 'all rivers lead to Morecambe Bay.' 

The short river is also notable for its charm. It flows past the Riverside Caravan Park and in the summer both local and visiting children play in the shallow water and its beaches. 

Walkers hiking the length of the river are often treated to birds and fish using the area as a habitat. 

Through its recent masterplan, Bentham is looking to rejuvenate the town to make it more attractive to future residents and visitors in the next ten years, and local campaigners argue that the state of the river will play a key role in this. 

READ MORE: Bentham Town Council publishes Masterplan findings

Campaigner and husband to Leonie Dave Pearce said: "We are at the beginning of this particular campaign. 

"What happened was we went over to Staveley and had a meeting with the Staveley group. We are incredibly keen to see what they were doing.

"We have got a small group together for an initial meeting. 60 people came to that from the local community. There is obviously major interest in this campaign."

Leonie said: "I suppose it is a variety of people coming together, some people who fished in the river. There is one person in particular who has lived in Bentham all his life and he is in his 70s. 

"People who have lived here a long time say the river life there used to be salmon throughout in the river, you can turn over a stone and find Blackheads, now river life is very scarce." 

The next Wenning Group meeting is on March 23. Leonie and Dave said they are interested in testing the river but pointed out the expense of sampling kits and the fact that Clean the River Kent's bathing status application was recently rejected by the government.