Work to save a medieval drought-hit lake in West Sussex has been hailed a success.

The Environment Agency says a £1.7 million restoration project to safeguard Swanbourne Lake in Arundel is working.

But local people have raised fears the water level is lower than it should be.

One, who declined to be named, said: "The rowing boats have been taken out of service because of the low water level.

"The lake has been drying out around the edges and the central island, which we don't think should be happening considering the amount of money they have spent."

The lake is renowned for its outstanding natural beauty, attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year and is an important wildlife site.

It was the subject of John Constable's last great oil painting, Arundel Mill And Castle.

But in recent summers it has been reduced to mud flats following a build-up of silt over the last half century.

Without the rescue work it would have eventually disappeared altogether.

The two-year plan, which finished last month, was worked out by the Environment Agency and Southern Water.

The lake bed was dredged at a rate of more than 400 tonnes a day to make it deeper.

More than 36,000 tonnes of silt have been removed.

The sediment, rich in organic material, was used on local agricultural land.

Ray Kemp, from the Environment Agency, said he was pleased with how the lake was performing despite the recent hot weather.

He said: "Where some of the lake looks as though it is drying out around the edges that is because we couldn't dredge the edges in case the banks collapsed.

"The lake has not dried up as in previous years."