THE South West Lakes Trust is due to embark on an extensive survey programme designed to establish the number of people visiting its lakes, including reservoirs in South East Cornwall.

The trust manages more than 50 inland areas of water in the West Country and aims to promote and improve sustainable recreation, access, conservation and education on and around these waters for the public.

The trust says that, as with all visitor attractions, it is essential to have up-to-date information on visitor numbers and length of stay.

The trust will be surveying all its lakes, except for those which are open solely for angling as the visitor numbers for these can be worked out from permit sales.

To enable the trust to successfully carry out these surveys, it is seeking volunteers. The surveys will take place twice a month throughout the year.

Those that need to be undertaken are observation surveys and involve the registering of vehicles in the car parks on an hourly basis.

This information will then be analysed and converted into actual visitor numbers and average length of stay for each lake.

As well as carrying out surveys at Siblyback, near Liskeard, and Colliford and Crowdy on Bodmin Moor, the trust will also be counting at Argal and Stithians in West Cornwall, Tamar in North Cornwall, Avon Dam, Kennick, Trenchford, Tottiford and Venford in South Devon, Burrator, Fernworthy and Meldon Reservoir on Dartmoor, Lopwell Dam and Roadford Lake in West Devon, Wistlandpound in North Devon and Wimbleball in Somerset.

The trust would welcome any volunteers willing to help with the surveys. Contact Rosie Vine via the email, rvine@swlakes trust. org.uk, or call 01566 771930.