Investors in Dales water power plan set to surge

The environmentally-friendly hydro electric plant is due to be built on the River Bain, near Bainbridge, which will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of about 40 homes.

A wave of interest in the share offer has seen more than 500 applications sent in from as far afield as Cornwall and the Isle of Man, and directors of the River Bain Hydro project announced last month they had extended the deadline to cope with the demand.

Director Yvonne Peacock said: "It's the last chance for people to buy shares in River Bain Hydro and send their cheques in.

"We've agreed that if people express an interest in buying shares on our website by the 5pm deadline on Wednesday, we'll still be able to receive their cheques after that date.

"Previous share offers have seen a real surge right on the final deadline and we're hoping River Bain Hydro will be no exception."

A total of 250,000 is needed to buy the equipment for the hydro scheme, and more than half has already been raised.

Work is expected to start on site this summer and the plant is due to save almost 80 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, or about 3,000 tonnes over an expected lifetime of 40 years.

The flowing water will be used to turn a generator, and senior officials at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority hope it will be the first of up to 50 schemes across the Dales.

The new plant will be built alongside the two-mile long River Bain in Raydale – said to be the smallest river in Britain. A prospectus for the share offer is at www.h2ope.co.uk