THE Salisbury River Park Project is on a countdown to completion and despite the mud, dust and disruption over some years, the resulting benefits provide much more than just vital flood defences.  

Many water voles were discovered in the stretch of the River Avon likely to be affected. As one river channel was to be drained and the other impacted, the Environment Agency (EA) had to consider how to trap and release these 'wind in the willow' favourites. 

With just a six-week window in which to capture as many of these endangered animals as possible, traps were set in place and more than twenty water voles were caught. 

This is the story of those water voles and the outcome.