ENTERPRISING villages in the Yorkshire Dales have secured their own supply of drinking water - fresh from a moorland spring.

The tiny hamlet of Halton Gill, in Littondale, is home to about 30 people, but is too remote to have ever been connected to the mains.

The villagers take their drinking water from a spring high on the moors above the valley - a source their ancestors have used for centuries.

However, the villagers became concerned when tests revealed problems with the drinking water quality due to the deterioration of the 40-year-old piping system.

They decided to take action, set up a formal village association and now have a sand-filtered water treatment system and replacement piping.

Every household in the community put £500 towards the project, and they also received a grant of £22,700 from the Rural Enterprise Scheme run by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

The chairman of the association, Keith Brook, said: "We could not possibly have done this without the help of Defra, and we're very grateful.

"We can be confident that we now have a safe, sustainable and healthy water supply."

The team leader of Defra's regional development service, Michael O'Hanlon, said: "We are glad to be able to help with this unusual community-driven initiative, which will benefit the villagers of Halton Gill now and in the future."

The Rural Enterprise Scheme aims to help farmers adapt to changing markets and help them to develop new business opportunities.

However, it also has a broader role in supporting the development of the rural economy, community, heritage and environment.