Most FM people probably know that Severn Trent Water is proposing to close a large section of the bank at Foremark Reservoir. It seems to me that few may have understood the implications… for coarse and trout anglers.

In essence, STW is proposing, in its new fishing lease, to close two thirds of the bank of the reservoir to anglers for reasons they appear not to want to go into. Ostensibly, the reason is the danger of a back-cast hooking a passer-by but a muddled letter I have seen from the current head bailiff, Karl James, suggests that, in some way, drinking water quality could be affected by fly fishing those banks.

A meeting with the Angling Trust in January was set up to iron out the problems but, if anything, it made the situation worse in that STW did not budge. Additionally, STW, in banning angling from the dam, said the same policy would apply across the board at STW fisheries. That is worrying.

Of course, the undercurrent flowing through this issue is that of shared access with other watersports and recreations; in my opinion, the other lobbies at the reservoir are winning a battle for space at Foremark, and STW are caving in because the income stream from sailing and the like seems under threat. The Health & Safety issue is a smokescreen.

But, smokescreen or not, H&S is a powerful tool. The Angling Trust is in there fighting and pointing out that back-cast accidents just don’t happen, and that Foremark’s anglers have only twice fallen on the dam wall. Of course, we have no idea how many walkers at Foremark have sprained an ankle or how many sailors have been cracked on the head by the boom because that is never recorded.

If it’s decided there IS an H&S issue with casting, it affects every public access water in the country including coarse fishing waters. It will be used, at will, as a reason for councils to close lakes to angling and in particular by some extreme parts of the anti-fieldsports movement to rob angling of some of the most important waters in the country – the waters kids can reach on their bikes and enjoy, often for nothing.

So I’d like to implore all FM members to sign the Angling Trust’s petition against this ludicrous proposal, whether you fish Foremark or not. Sign on at http://www.anglingtrust.net/survey/survey.asp?survey=20010002

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