Farmer charged for ecological harm after bulldozing protected river
A FARMER who bulldozed a Herefordshire beauty spot is to face charges for ecological harm to the wildlife habitats of otters, kingfisher and salmon.
John Price claimed he had been protecting a nearby hamlet from flooding when he used a digger to dredge a section of the River Lugg, near Leominster in Herefordshire, in December 2020.
A mile-long stretch of riverbank was cleared of trees and bushes in what Natural England officials said was a “decimation” of the local environment.
The 67-year-old will appear before Kidderminster magistrates court to face charges, including for activities “likely to cause damage to or endanger the stability of the river”. They follow an investigation by Natural England and the Environment Agency (EA) into damage to the protected stretch of the river.
Mr Price is also accused of removing silt and gravel from the riverbed without authorisation and illegally felling trees on land he owns on either side of the river. The area is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), so permission must be granted for such work.
Oliver Harmar, chief operating officer at Natural England, said: “The decimation of this section of the River Lugg has been devastating to the local environment and to local people, destroying the habitats of … wildlife such as otters, kingfisher and salmon.”
Speaking in 2020, Andrew Nixon, Natural England’s senior conservation manager, said the changes would allow rain to cause massive erosion, washing soil contaminated with pesticides and pollutants downstream and threatening fish spawn and invertebrates.
The river is protected because it is an important habitat for crayfish, otters, salmon, lampreys and dragonflies. “The actions taken on this stretch of the river will have far-reaching consequences for this stretch of river and floodplain and further downstream,” Mr Nixon said.
Mr Price says he acted legally and was backed by councillors and residents concerned by the impact of flooding during Storm Dennis in 2020.
The charges also relate to other works alleged to have been carried out by him in December 2021, shortly before Storm Christoph hit the area.
Speaking when the incident first came to light in 2020, Mr Price said: “I’m a Herefordshire farmer and … I have watched this river all my life – no one knows [it] better than myself.
“I was asked to stop the erosion because I’m the landowner, so I’m responsible for the river.”
The EA had no money to pay for it to be looked after, he added, because they “spend it all on clipboards”.
The Forestry Commission said it was taking “no further action” against Mr Price after its own investigation.