‘RATTY’ looks set to make a major return to a Hampshire river.

Water voles were locally extinct in the Meon Valley but they are now thought to be thriving following a five-year project to reintroduce the animal which inspired the character Ratty in The Wind in the Willows.

The first 500 water voles were released at Titchfield Haven, managed by Hampshire County Council, in 2013.

Now, 2,548 have been brought to the area at locations including Soberton, East Meon and Meonstoke in the biggest water vole release ever attempted in the country.

Once a common sight in the Meon Valley, water voles become locally-extinct in 2008 because of a loss of habitat, pollution and being hunted on by the non-native American mink.

Ali Morse, wildlife ranger from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, said: “The water vole is a great way to get more people involved in caring for their river.

“Whether people remember seeing water voles here in the past or are new to the area, it really means something to them to see them now. But this is about so much more than just one species– if you make the river better for water vole, all the other wildlife benefits.”

Derek Gow, whose business specialises in water vole ecology and who bred the animals released on the Meon, added: “The River Meon water vole reintroduction has been an inspiring example of well-coordinated team work in action.

“Volunteers have ensured that this wonderful project now clearly illustrates that the restoration of this iconic species is working on a landscape scale.”

The project is a partnership between the South Downs National Park Authority, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and Hampshire County Council.