TALKING POINT How do we share our rivers?
Kayaks, rafters and wild swimmers have descended onto rivers in record numbers, causing damage and disruption. This week we look at what’s being done to combat this growing problem…
BRITAIN’S rivers have been busier than ever over the past couple of months, and not just with anglers.
A new wave of kayakers, rafters and wild swimmers have all been making the most of the countryside, and who could blame them after months of being trapped indoors?
But the huge spike in post-lockdown footfall on our waterways is having a detrimental impact on the fragile ecology of some rivers, with the rise in bankside litter and disturbances caused to wildlife habitat sparking a debate about finding a solution to the growing problem.
Anglers have borne the brunt of the issue, and last week it emerged that bailiffs on the Royalty stretch of the Hampshire Avon were forcing canoeists and paddle boarders to exit the river at the head of the fishery and then walk to the next access point before re-entering the water, a journey of up to a mile that takes in Christchurch high street.
Nigel Gray, who runs Davis Tackle in the town, said: “The problem seems to be mainly all the new people who have taken up these watersports lately. They’ve bought a canoe and think they can go where they want, but they can’t.”
It’s been a similar story on the River Wye, one of the country’s most popular angling – and canoeing – venues. Adam Fisher, owner of Angling Dreams which runs a host of fisheries on the river, said: “It’s been carnage in places, with groups of lads going down the river in inflatable flamingos and bananas – it’s like being in Tenerife! The privateers are more to blame than the customers of registered canoe companies. You can buy an inflatable boat in Aldi these days, so these people buy one, and paddle downriver getting out wherever they want to have picnics and go to the toilet. They should be using the official access points.
“My main concern is the impact that they’ll have on the Wye Valley, which is a Special Area of Conservation, an SSSI and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. People come to the Wye to experience its peace and beauty, but the increased footfall is destroying this and it will have a long-term impact on the tourism industry.
“What’s more, anglers are stopping booking stretches because they know they’ll be so busy. It’s chaos and something needs to be done.”
Adam, like many other business owners, is calling for the laws governing river access to be addressed, but as John Cheyne, National Regions Manager at the Angling Trust revealed, as things stand, the legal situation is far from clear.
“The privateers are more to blame than the registered canoe companies”
“The law states that you can’t access a river that’s on someone’s land without permission, and if you do, its trespass,” he revealed. “But trespassing comes under Civil Law, which means the police won’t get involved and it’s down to the landowner to prosecute. Most landowners aren’t willing to take the financial hit, and as a result, the swimmers and kayakers get away with it.”
The Trust are now pushing for Voluntary Access Agreements between water users, as John explained:
“These promote communication between water users and allow them to understand each other’s needs, and those of the river. This would protect spawning grounds of fish and animal habitat and also help to avoid conflict between anglers who are quite rightly frustrated at people using their waters for free, after they’ve paid for the right to fish them.”
There are, however, a few problems with such a solution, he added.
“Firstly, British Canoeing, the national governing body for the sport, have told their members not to sign up to Voluntary Access Agreements, as they want access 24/7, 365 days a year,” John revealed.
“Secondly, wild swimmers don’t have an official union, so they’re hard to get in touch with. But finally, and most worryingly, an Agriculture Bill is going through parliament with an amendment that gives the Right to Roam on our rivers. If this Bill passes, people will be free to use many of our waterways without fear of prosecution.
John’s main concern about the Bill is its one size fits all nature. On the Tidal Trent, for example, extra water users wouldn’t have too big an impact due to the size of the river and its historically busy nature. However, on smaller rivers and chalkstreams, the consequences could be catastrophic.
“You can’t treat all rivers the same, as we have so much variety in the UK, but this Bill doesn’t discriminate, and people will have the right to use large rivers right through to tiny ones,” added John.