DAVE Morley sweeps the river bed, his electric probe pulsing four amps of current through the water.

He spots a couple of grayling darting to his left and moves towards them; they are momentarily stunned before rising to the surface, where Shaun McGinty gathers them in his net. The men are working the River Rye in Helmsley and while we may not officially be in a drought, looking down at the dry beds below you'd hardly think it.

Because months of dry weather are taking its toll and not just on farmers' crops. Water levels may usually drop in summer, but this year is worryingly different.

Now the Rye is so low that Pat O'Brien has brought his team to rescue the fish that live in it.

They are fisheries experts with the Environment Agency and armed with a bucket, net and probe are pulling out wild trout and grayling.

"We know this part of the river can get really low during the summer months and we've rescued fish from here before," says Pat.

"That's why in exceptionally dry weather conditions, like we've had over the last few months, this is an area we would be keeping a close eye on."

And that close eye tells Pat enough is enough. The fish are trapped in deeper "swallow holes" where they are vulnerable to predators like herons. Not only that, during a hot spell the still water can stagnate, leaving the fish to suffocate.

So they are being taken a mile up stream, where there is still enough water for them to survive.

"We look at the forecast and work out if there will be enough rain to maintain the fish," says Pat. "It's a difficult call to make though, because we've had rain and although there's more forecast, it's not enough to make a difference.

"That's why we are here today."

Finally the job is done; 200 trout and grayling have been safely gathered in an oxygenated tank and they're being taken to their new home.

There might be one other river that will need the team's help this summer; Forlorn Water in Driffield. But with a bit of luck we'll see some more hard rain, the sort that's been needed for too many months and those fish can stay where they are.