WILDLIFE along the River Wey is dying because a broken sluice gate has remained unfixed for three months.

Villagers in Nottington in Weymouth say that one of their favourite swans had to be put down after it broke its foot attempting to land on the rocky bed of the river.

Water levels have dropped below the summer average because a sluice gate in the village has not been repaired.

Residents said the low water level has led to the death of other wildlife in the area because it has been left vulnerable to predators.

Nottington villager Peter Bennett, 54, has called the Environment Agency several times since the gate broke in April.

He said he was upset after a swan he had looked after for five years had to be put down after trying to land on a river bed barely an inch deep.

He said: "The sluice gate by the Spa House broke and I reported it to the agency in April.

"Now it's the breeding season and they have done nothing about it.

"The water is so low it doesn't look clean.

"Further down the down the river they have complained it's stagnant.

"The Environment Agency say they will get back to me I'm still waiting."

Mr Bennett said the low river had led to a decline in wildlife in the village.

He added: "We have not got as many ducklings.

"The foxes can walk across the water now and a lot of wildlife is suffering.

"Yesterday I saw four ducklings and I should be seeing dozens of them.

"The trout are down and there's very few eels because the herons have taken them."

He added that he hoped more swans would return next year but feared they may not.

Farmer Sally Wills, who lives at Nottington Farm said: "We love seeing the swans around here it's just such a shame. They were quite an attraction to people staying here and people like to feed them."

She added: "It's quite important to keep these things maintained. It's just one thing that you think in itself is nothing but it has big consequences."

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said that the gate was not their responsibility as it was on private property. He said that the gate should be the responsibility of the property owner but that the Environment Agency would carry out repairs on this occasion.

He added: "We have decided to take action to repair and build up the water levels to what they were because obviously we're aware of the concern of local people."