SINCE the restored Alresford Eel House started its Open Days during the summer in 2008 it has attracted 6,237 visitors, says the town trust.

The trust has finished the restoration and is now concentrating on getting it working again: the traps have been restored recently, with the help of a £2,000 grant from Winchester City Council.

Now the trust is applying to the Environment Agency for an “educational” trapping licence. This will enable it to put together a programme with local schools to demonstrate the historic activity – letting children see (and handle!) eels trapped in the autumn nights, before releasing the fish on their mysterious 3,000-mile journey back to the Sargasso Sea.

As always, the trust says it has had great local support, both practical and financial, for which it is grateful and hopes that 2017 will see the Eel House “doing its thing” for the first time in over 40 years.

Open Days are from 11am-5pm on: Sunday, April 16 (Easter Sunday); Sunday, May 14; Sunday, July 2; Monday, August 28 and Sunday, September 10.