Residents in Kingskerswell are keen to solve the mystery of why a stream that runs through the historic heart of their village has dried up for the first time in living memory.

The name 'kerswell' is thought to come from the old English carsewelle, meaning stream where the watercress grows and has been associated with the settlement for a millennium or more, writes Nigel Canham.

There are fears that water extraction and other activities at nearby Stoneycombe Quarry may have contributed to the problem, but the firm has rejected the idea.

The Environment Agency said the cause was likely to be one of the driest spells of weather for decades.

A meeting later this month has been arranged for interested parties including Bardon Aggregates, Devon County Council and Ron Baker who, as owner of the centuries-old Whitpot Mill which was once powered by the stream, also holds the water rights.

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