Back at the end of 2020 we covered the investigation of  the destruction of 1.5 miles of the protected River Lugg in Herefordshire. Now, Natural England and the Environment Agency have launched a joint legal action against a landowner in response to that damage.

The press release from the EA and Natural England says:

This follows a joint Natural England and Environment Agency in-depth investigation into ecological harm to the 1.5 kilometre of the protected stretch of the River Lugg. This investigation followed reports of unauthorised activity including dredging and changing the shape (profiling) of the riverbank in Kingsland in Herefordshire in December 2020.

The charges being brought against the landowner relate to:

• unconsented operations and causing damage to a Site of Special Scientific Interest
• carrying out activities within 8 metres of the River Lugg which were likely to cause damage to or endanger the stability of the river
• causing a water discharge activity, namely a discharge of silt into the River Lugg
• failing to take reasonable precaution to prevent agricultural pollution from land management and cultivation practices on agricultural land
• wilfully disturbing spawn or spawning fish, or any bed, bank or shallow on which any spawn or spawning fish may be
• breach of a stop notice

The Guardian also covered the story and the statement from the EA and Natural England can be found here.