5 March 2007 Heald And McPartland's Fight To Save River Beane Oliver Heald MP and Stephen McPartland PPC for Stevenage recently met David Stimpson and Ian Knight, Chairman and Secretary of the River Beane Restoration Association, who are demanding action before the river goes completely dry. The River Beane rises at Cromer and runs down to Hertford through Walkern, Aston, Watton at Stone and Stapleford. The upper stretch north of Watton is dry. At one time the river was a trout river with valuable fishing rights. The enormous development being forced on Hertfordshire by Government "Prescottshire" is likely to turn the river totally dry as even more water is abstracted and highlights the lack of water for such development. Oliver is writing to the Environment Agency and Three Valleys Water Company asking how the Beane can be saved and restored. The RBRA is suggesting that immediate action is taken to stop leaks - which lead to the loss of hundreds of thousands of gallons of water each day locally and to create more small reservoirs so that rainfall can replenish the Beane. Commenting Oliver Heald said: "Stephen and I were shocked to learn of the threat to the Beane, which is an important river for residents of North Herts and Stevenage. I did not realise that the river north of Watton had flowed in living memory and it shows how soon we can come to accept important damage to our environment. It also points up the risks to flora and fauna from the proposed massive development of Hertfordshire."