DISABLED sailors in the New Forest have been left high and dry after millions of gallons of water was drained from their lake near Ringwood.

Falling water levels in the Spinnaker Lake at Blashford during the summer have rendered unusable a purpose-built pontoon used by the Sailability group based there.

The pontoon, equipped with hoist to lift people in and out of their dinghies, was provided last year through a £5,000 grant from New Forest council and donations from local groups.

Up to a dozen sailors of all ages and with a variety of sensory and mobility problems have been able to enjoy the freedom of the water since Sailability was launched at Spinnaker Lake last summer.

But their previously level pontoon now hangs at a crazy angle from the jetty and is to steep for wheelchairs after the water level dropped by some five feet.

And it is too difficult and dangerous for wheelchair users and their helpers to launch from other pontoons on the lakeside.

A spokesman for Wessex Water which manages the network of flooded gravel pit lakes and reservoirs at Blashford said a problem with algae on nearby Ivy Lake had meant more water than usual was abstracted from Spinnaker during the summer. He said abstraction from Spinnaker lake was stopped at the end of August and water was now being pumped back in at the rate of some 10 million litres a day.

"This was a one-off situation because of the algae problem and we apologise to the sailors for the inconvenience. We hope the sailors will be back pretty soon," he said.

Although the water level has started rising again it is unlikely that the pontoon will be available before the end of the Sailability season in October.

Sailability group chairman Eric Blyth, himself a wheelchair user, said: "I spoke to Wessex Water and they were very apologetic but they said it was impossible to do anything else."

Committee member and sailing instructor David Baker said: "About two-thirds of our members are wheelchair users We have all this valuable equipment and we can't use it."

John Merrey, of the Romsey and Waterside Visually Impaired Group, whose members sail with Sailability, said: "The whole object of Sailability is that it is available to people in wheelchairs."