Why the EA cannot read the room

 

Greetings, I read with some interest the recent publicity around Paul Powlesland a self-styled activist barrister and environmentalist who was threatened with prosecution by the Environment Agency (EA), in a typical instance of quango overreach and bullying, for unauthorised river clearance work on a dilapidated part of Alders Brook, a tributary of the River Roding in the suburbs of northeast London. The background is that Powlesland, who lives in a houseboat on the Roding, organised a group of forty volunteers and hired a digger to clear the Brook over a ten day period that had become clogged with decades of detritus, urban rubbish and fallen trees. A few days after the work was complete, Powlesland received a letter from the EA accusing him of “unauthorised flood risk activity”.

Paul Powlesland

The use of this catch-all phrase is straight out of the EA Stalinist-style playbook. It is scary when they wave the big stick for apparently minor or well-meaning actions which might result in up to two years in jail and a massive fine. Believe me I know: over the years I have had my rights read to me and could probably fill a book with threatening missives from the EA, or their shadowy puppet masters, Natural England. It always plays out the same way. Many letters will be exchanged, though typically your timely replies will be left unanswered for weeks or months by the prosecuting body. Threats will be escalated and new fronts of misdoing opened up as the original offence loses its lustre. Eventually, when it becomes clear the only crime to have been committed exists in the mind of bureaucratic officialdom, a final ‘warning’ letter will be issued and everyone will move on. It is hard to know the exact circumstances of what happened at Alders Brook. To be fair to the EA, using a digger is pretty hardcore and I would certainly never advise anyone to do so without consultation. Likewise, the activist Powlesland seems to be no stranger to run-ins with the authorities but he makes some very good points. Not least that had the required permit been sought it would have taken over a year and, such is the complicated nature of this process, require the involvement of a consultant and mounds of paperwork- the cost of which would be more than the restoration itself. The sad fact is that this case, and the similar ones I have experienced, encapsulates all that is bad about the EA and Natural England who cannot read the room. Here we have two regulatory bodies, tasked with protecting the countryside and rivers, with a combined annual budget of £2 billion, who are clearly failing to do their job on a national scale. So, instead of looking inward to address their manifest failings, they go to petty bureaucratic war with their natural allies.

Wake. Fish. Sleep .... in The Chilterns Over the past few years our collection of fishing cottages has slowly grown, ranging from the most southerly in France to the most northerly in Yorkshire. Aside from the importance of both the quality of the accommodation and the fishing, one of my essential requirements is that both be in the same ownership and on the same estate, farm or homestead. Essentially, I want you to be able to roll out of bed, slip on your shoes, grab a coffee from the kitchen, grab your rod from the porch and amble, however bleary eyed, to the river. Now I have to admit at two thirds of a mile the walk from Toweridge Farmhouse to the Buckinghamshire Wye is not short but you can at least be a duke for the morning as you walk down the hill through the magnificent West Wycombe Park Estate, the lake and river slowly revealing themselves as you approach. Music Temple

This particular River Wye, fed from The Chilterns, is the most pellucid chalkstream I know which also feeds the trout lake- featuring the amazing Music Temple. This is ideal for a leisurely picnic and you will get to the island in the wooden row boat that you may use to fish the lake as well. Toweridge Farmhouse is available for three night stays with fishing for one or two Rods April-September. Dogs are welcome. Details here .... Toweridge Farmhouse

Podcast of the Week One of the fun things about publishing a new book is that, after a year chained to your desk writing, editing and generally honing the darn thing, you get out there to meet the readers and often reconnect with people you worked with on previous books. One such was Fergus Collins who I first met ten years ago when he was editor of the Countryfile Magazine, who kindly ran a piece about me and the just published The Otters’ Tale. Since then, the media landscape has changed with magazines not quite the marketing force they were. Today, the podcast is king so Fergus, now editor and host of the BBC Countryfile Magazine The Plodcast came to The Mill last month to see for himself the many parts featured in Tales from The Mill.

The Plodcast. Episode 358. Hear tales from the mill on a beautiful Hampshire chalkstream with Simon Cooper

I always find being interviewed for radio more rewarding than for TV. You are forced to fill in the gaps that the listener cannot see; it is mind stretching in a good way and with a good interviewer and listener in Fergus, an enjoyable way to relive your own book. Aside from my attempt to encourage him to smell an otter spraint (you can determine the sex by doing so) we had a fun morning which he has honed down to a very listenable 53 minutes. You may listen to it here or via your usual podcast source by searching Countryfile Plodcast Simon with Fergus Collins at The Mill

Video of the Week If the heat has kept you confined to home, here is a short video filmed by Damon Valentine and the guys from Farlow’s last summer at The Parsonage on the River Test. Enjoy!

Watch it here .....

Speaking of Farlows/Sportfish - July marks the Sportfish Rivers Month, a campaign to shine a spotlight on the importance of improving the health of our rivers. In support of this we are hosting our very own conservation day at Bullington Manor on the Dever today.. hosted by our Head River Keeper, Si Fields. Look out for the updates next time!

Quiz A short selection of questions based on the topics in this newsletter, the date today or something topical. 1)      Which three national leaders attended the Potsdam Conference on this day in 1945? 2)      Who was No.1 in the UK singles charts with Out of Time on the day in 1966 when England won the World Cup? A) Chris Farlowe B) The Beatles  C) The Kinks D) The Rolling Stones 3)      The word "podcast" is a blend of what two words? It is just for fun and the answers are below.

Have a good weekend. Best wishes,

Simon Cooper simon@fishingbreaks.co.uk Founder & Managing Directorwww.fishingbreaks.co.uk

Quiz answers: 1)      Harry Truman, Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill 2)      Chris Farlowe  3)      "iPod" and "broadcast". It was coined in 2004 by journalist Ben Hammersley in an article for The Guardian to describe the emerging trend of distributing downloadable audio shows over the internet.