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THE Wildlife Trust has slammed the “complete destruction” of a river in Herefordshire which will have “disastrous consequences”.
A mile-and-a-half stretch of the River Lugg in Herefordshire was intentionally destroyed, said Herefordshire Wildlife Trust, which will have huge repercussions for downstream wildlife.
The trust, which did not say where the damage was found, said the river and its banks were demolished, straightened and re-profiled into a barren channel, with both riverside and riverside habitats “completely cleared.”
The scene in front of the river bank was demolished. Image: Herefordshire Wildlife Trust
The scene after the river bank was demolished. Image: Herefordshire Wildlife Trust
The destruction of the river and its banks, which is home to shrimp, otters and salmon, lampreys and dragonflies, and some rare riverine wildlife, was a crime against nature, said Herefordshire Trust CEO Helen Stace.
“A large stretch of one of the UK’s most important rivers, the Lugg, has been devastated with disastrous consequences for the fauna and water quality downstream – this is a tragedy,” he said.
“The trees along the shore have all been uprooted and burned, the gravels of the river have been scraped off and the beautiful meanders of the river have been straightened and re-profiled.
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“As a former leader of the English Nature Rivers team who notified the Lugg as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, I know this river is one of the most beautiful tree-lined stretches of immense wildlife value. This is a crime against the environment. We need to act quickly and we want the authorities to investigate this matter quickly.
“We expect this case to be dealt with in a serious and solid manner and any resulting prosecution should act as a deterrent to prevent anyone from committing this type of crime ever again.
The bank of the River Lugg has been demolished, says Herefordshire Wildlife Trust
“We will also ask for the restoration of the river in its natural channel”.
Andrew Nixon, senior conservation manager at Herefordshire Wildlife Trust, added: “Removal of all vegetation along the banks and scraping of the river bed and banks will cause a huge increase in the rate at which the water moves. across the river and the risk of flooding downstream will increase. ”
The bank of the River Lugg has been demolished, says Herefordshire Wildlife Trust
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