Fishing Ban in Bewdley – A Rallying Call – UPDATE!

Fishing Ban in Bewdley Protest – Update!

Firstly can I just say a big THANK YOU to everybody who has shown his or her support so far. The rally went ahead as planned on Sunday in Bewdley and was attended by nearly 200 anglers.

People attended from all over the country, including Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool, Essex, Kent, London, Ludlow, Oxford, South Wales and Devon, not to mention many anglers from different parts of the midlands.

There were lots of messages of support from all over Britain and from as far afield as Oregon! The local press was there as well as Des Taylor and Greg Whitehead from Angling Times and thanks must go to them for getting the ball rolling. See BFW for reports – And here – Express and Star.

Lots of plans have been made and the fight goes on. Local anglers will be working alongside the NFA and the ACA as part of a delegation of anglers attending a Council meeting on the 30th June to put the case against any bans or restrictions but it is still down to us, the ordinary angler, to have our say.

The battle is not over, it’s just begun, so get involved. Have your say, let your opinions be heard even if it’s just an e-mail to those in authority. Your opinion counts. We have friends in high places on our side and we need to show them our support and others that we won’t be pushed around anymore.

If you would like to let your opinions be heard please direct your e-mails here:

Bewdley Town Council contact details.

And here:

Andrew.Dickens@wyreforestdc.gov.uk REMEMBER: This may not affect your fishing now but it may well do in the future.

Cheers, Ian.”

How it all began

The Wyre Forest District Council and Bewdley Town Council are looking into the possibility of having a fishing free zone in Bewdley Town Centre, in effect a fishing ban.

Fishing has already been banned in the town centres of Worcester, Stratford and Evesham and now it seems it’s Bewdley’s turn.

This is all thanks to a complaint from Jan Harrigan at Wychbold Swan Rescue who claims that numbers of swans are dying of lead poisoning caused by angler’s lead shot.

We all know that lead shot, which was proven to be the cause of swan deaths, was outlawed many years ago and I for one don’t believe we are to blame again. There are many possible reasons for the deaths but not one piece of factual evidence has yet been provided. I think it’s time we stood our ground on this one.

I spend a lot of time in the area, mainly for the fishing but also for lots of other activities and spend a lot of money doing so. We, as anglers, must do all we can to fight this. Even if this doesn’t affect your fishing now it may well do in the future. Even if you live miles away from Bewdley (as I do) and you never fish the River Severn, I call upon all of you, my fellow anglers, to support the efforts being made right now by the locals.

A rally has been organized for Sunday, 22nd June in the town and everybody is invited. If you can’t make the rally, then try and help in other ways. You could support by letting all your friends and family know what’s going on. Why not use the Internet to e-mail all those in authority; I have and there are many people who are on our side but they need to know exactly how strong our feelings are.

Let them know and they will be able to use your opinions. If we just bow down to pressure and give in without a fight then the next ban could well be in your area. Please do all you can, it’s not just the Severn anglers’ battle but every anglers’ battle so come on, get down to the rally and get sending those e-mails. For more information please check the forum thread linking from the bottom of this page.