British Waterways is calling on budding Bill Oddies to hot-foot it to their local canals and rivers to help conserve the wildlife thriving on London's doorstep.

With its fourth annual wildlife survey well underway, British Waterways is reminding Londoners to play their part and report animals spotted during their visit to a local canal or river.

Leela O'Dea, ecologist for British Waterways London, said: "The survey is really important to the health of London's waterway wildlife as it will help us to spot any alarming ups or downs in the numbers of waterway's animals.

"We hope people will pay a visit to their local waterside and let us know what they see, from the common bumblebee through to any of the 17 species of bat, all of which are rare, as each and every sighting is invaluable."

British Waterways has projects ongoing across the capital, including measures encourage the return of otters to our waterways and techniques to improve habitats for water voles.

Residents can report sightings, particularly of Kingfishers which are this year's focus, at waterscape.com/wildlife.

For waterways visitors without internet access, a Spotter's Guide to Waterways Wildlife' is available from British Waterways offices across the canal network or by calling 01923 201120.

Residents have until September 30 to submit their sightings, and a cash prize of £100 is up for grabs for the best photograph of a kingfisher.

Pictures should be submitted to the above web address. The winning entry, along with a selection of runners-up entries, will be published on waterscape.com.