A scheme meant to encourage wildlife to use a stretch of river in Winchester has had just opposite effect, claim residents.

In 1999, the quarter-mile reach between Hyde and Abbotts Barton was made "wildlife friendly" by the City Council.

The stream was narrowed and islands added to make the water flow faster. The aim was to make the river cleaner and more attractive to flora and fauna.

However, disgruntled locals say that, far from showing their appreciation for the council's largess, wildlife has deserted the river.

"It's turning into a wilderness," said Rose Goldie, of Austen Close, Abbotts Barton, who first brought the matter into the open with a letter to the Hampshire Chronicle, which instantly struck a chord.

She is upset that, whatever the good intentions of the regeneration scheme, the river has been allowed to overgrow and become an "eyesore".

She added: "The decision was obviously made by someone sitting in their ivory tower, spending all of our money and then not having to live with the consequences."

Brian Cable, also of Austen Close, said: "Instead of encouraging animals and birds, one is lucky to see any. It has been given a wide berth by wildlife and has turned into a wilderness."

He also expressed concern that, without maintenance, the section of river would soon turn into a tip.

Another Abbotts Barton resident, Colin Day, of Chaundler Road, said it was already "a total disgrace and a waste of thousands of pounds of taxpayer's money".

But Nigel Trowell, parks and recreation officer for Winchester City Council, said there had been a certain amount of maintenance work on the river, such as cutting back plants. "It was done late in the first year, though, to allow growth of the plants."

While admitting that the waters were by no means perfect, Mr Trowell said that prior to the regeneration scheme, repeated dredging had widened the channel, making the current more sluggish.

Now there is more pressure, enabling the water to run faster and cleaner. The faster the flow, the more silt the river takes with it, which stops it becoming choked and deoxygenated.

Ironically, it appears that the water now flows too fast for the ducks and moorhens who once lived there, to stay.

Mr Trowell pointed out that, because the channel was man-made, it would never be able to function perfectly as a river. It used to be part of the old water meadows, and as such was built for irrigation purposes.

But Mrs Goldie also drew attention to the fact that the river looked nothing like the "after" picture shown on the city council's information board. Mr Trowell agreed, but said that the project was not finished yet. "We are only allowed to cut weeds in rivers at certain times, so everyone can get together and give the weeds free access to the sea.

"They will be cut again soon, and then the stretch there will look more like the picture. The floodings last winter meant we had to direct our resources elsewhere for a time, I'm afraid."