River Lugg: Kingsland farmer John Price says he will “pull the authorities apart” if they take him to court for the work he has done on the river Lugg. He was speaking after a huge local and national row broke out after pictures were published showing a bank of the river bulldozed clear of vegetation. Herefordshire Wildlife Trust said an “enchanting” reach of the river and its banks had been straightened and reprofiled into a sterile canal, with wildlife habitats obliterated.
But Mr Price, who is 66, says he has looked after the river all his life and was only doing a job he was told to do. He claims the work he has done on the riverbanks is legal and it is meant to save local homes from flooding, and he has the backing of local councillors.
Natural England, the Environment Agency and the Forestry Commission say the works required permission and they currently investigating.
“They are not going to beat me,” Mr Price said.