The Environment Agency has identified as many as 26,000 locations where small-scale hydroelectric turbines could be installed to generate sufficient electricity for around 850,000 UK homes without destroying wildlife in rivers.

The study found that the turbines could generate 1.5 per cent of the UK's electricity requirements, but all of the identified locations are not feasible for development as they do not provide easy access to the local electricity grid.

Roughly 50 per cent of the locations are in environmentally sensitive areas where turbines can kill fish.

The Institute of Fisheries Management has also raised concerns over adverse affects of interference in rivers for power generation.

Out of the total identified sites, less than 25 per cent have been rated as "promising" by the agency. However, some locations in Yorkshire are considered as suitable for future development projects.

The Government wants to generate green power from resources that are going untapped.