should anglers accept tackle from the countries biggest polluter

tuolumne fisher · Sep 24, 2012

thames water, the countries biggest continual polluter, responsible for wiping out more gene pools than anyone else, has donated some tackle to a fishing club to enable youngsters to take up the sport
mark lloyd, ATr chief executive said 'its great news'

is this an example of more of the same, meaning is this an example of the cosy relationship that exists between thames water and employees of the ATr, surely with his background within the ACA, the last thing he should be doing is praising thames water

I gotta add, that I believe any expenditure on our current youth is warmly welcomed, but to destroy with one hand and apply sticking plasters with the other, aint exactly a good basis for improvement

bennygesserit · Sep 24, 2012

amushroom said:
thames water, the countries biggest continual polluter, responsible for wiping out more gene pools than anyone else, has donated some tackle to a fishing club to enable youngsters to take up the sport
mark lloyd, ATr chief executive said 'its great news'

is this an example of more of the same, meaning is this an example of the cosy relationship that exists between thames water and employees of the ATr, surely with his background within the ACA, the last thing he should be doing is praising thames water

I gotta add, that I believe any expenditure on our current youth is warmly welcomed, but to destroy with one hand and apply sticking plasters with the other, aint exactly a good basis for improvement

How is TW the biggest polluter ? Is it a financial issue that prevents them remedying the situation ?

---------- Post added at 13:28 ---------- Previous post was at 13:25 ----------

Aaah Thames Water is UK's 'biggest polluter' | Mail Online

---------- Post added at 13:41 ---------- Previous post was at 13:28 ----------

So will the Thames tunnel solve the problem entirely ?

barbelboi · Sep 24, 2012

bennygesserit said:
How is TW the biggest polluter ? Is it a financial issue that prevents them remedying the situation ?

---------- Post added at 13:28 ---------- Previous post was at 13:25 ----------

Aaah Thames Water is UK's 'biggest polluter' | Mail Online

---------- Post added at 13:41 ---------- Previous post was at 13:28 ----------

So will the Thames tunnel solve the problem entirely ?

Not entirely Benny, it should see the fall of an average 60 CSO discharges a year to four or less.
Jerry

richiekelly · Sep 24, 2012

This is nothing more than a blatent PR exercise and one that the ATs should have had nothing to do with, makes one wonder where they got the idea from. It wouldnt have been from within the ATs would it ?

Jeff Woodhouse · Sep 24, 2012

Why shouldn't a club accept equipment provided by Thames Water?

I don't like the fact that they pollute the Thames (and other rivers, Wandle et al), but often it's within their licence to do so. I'm sure they do everything possible to prevent it happening, but the reasons for this (and the mistakes) are historical. OK you can also say that TW profiteered from the sale of land that was designated to build storage tanks for sewage by building housing developments on them, but moaning and protesting doesn't help kids get into the sport.

You could have even more justification complaining about the EA to whom you pay a princely sum of £27 a year for a rod licence, which is in effect a tax, to protect your fishing rights whilst at the same time they are hell bent on destroying them by building hydro electric turbines and killing off the breeding areas, but you're still happy give them the money.

I would (and will) take everything I can from Thames Water and I will still complain and demand that their chiefs are thrown into jail everytime a pollution occurs that could be avoided. This is how politics works, take their money then punnish them. The government do it with us every year with car road fund licences.

Everyone is your enemy if you look into them deep enough. (even you lot

)

The bad one · Sep 24, 2012

"Pollutionwash" perhaps.....maybe.....probably!

richiekelly · Sep 24, 2012

Jeff Woodhouse said:
Why shouldn't a club accept equipment provided by Thames Water?

I don't like the fact that they pollute the Thames (and other rivers, Wandle et al), but often it's within their licence to do so. I'm sure they do everything possible to prevent it happening, but the reasons for this (and the mistakes) are historical. OK you can also say that TW profiteered from the sale of land that was designated to build storage tanks for sewage by building housing developments on them, but moaning and protesting doesn't help kids get into the sport.

You could have even more justification complaining about the EA to whom you pay a princely sum of £27 a year for a rod licence, which is in effect a tax, to protect your fishing rights whilst at the same time they are hell bent on destroying them by building hydro electric turbines and killing off the breeding areas, but you're still happy give them the money.

I would (and will) take everything I can from Thames Water and I will still complain and demand that their chiefs are thrown into jail everytime a pollution occurs that could be avoided. This is how politics works, take their money then punnish them. The government do it with us every year with car road fund licences.

Everyone is your enemy if you look into them deep enough. (even you lot )

I for one am not happy to give my money to the EA, anglers in England are forced to pay up under threat of legal action. How many would buy a licence if they were not forced to ?

chub_on_the_block · Sep 24, 2012

Council tax includes a levy paid to the EA for flood defence - irrespective of whether you live in a floodplain or not.

It is strange that of all the casual/non-impact users of the river environment anglers are singled out, but to me this is acceptable if that money is channeled towards work of benefit to angling/river environment. Why dont flood plain developers or the residents and businesses that purchase the property once built pay for all the flood defence work that is often solely in their interests? - after all, this flood defence work accounts for the lions share of EA budget (it was over 70% last time i checked, compared to a couple of percent for fisheries/conservation).

Jeff Woodhouse · Sep 24, 2012

the blanker said:
I for one am not happy to give my money to the EA

OK, perhaps 'happy' is not the word, but we do still buy the licence.

Fact is, you're not going to change anything by either accepting or refusing gifts/funding/whatever from Thames water. If they're happy to give something away that will benefit your sport, take it and swallow your pride. If we don't get younger people into the sport there's not going to be anyone to protest in the future when we're all gone and the water companies will do then what they please.

No body or no other body could give a stuff about what lies beneath the surface of the water, just us in the main. Example: I visited a "Wildlife" reserve on Saturday, plenty of posters up with pictures of birds and stotes and badgers. I asked what fish stocks the lake held and ......... numbstruck faces. Does it matter? Well, yes, if it's a "WILDLIFE" reserve where's the wildlife below the surface of the water, just because your visitors can't see it doesn't mean it's not important.

Will Barnard · Sep 24, 2012

What about if it was the club that asked for some help and indeed were the ones to make a press issue of it eh?

nicepix · Sep 24, 2012

What about China? Bigger polluter than Thames Water and I'll bet we all buy tackle made there.

laguna · Sep 24, 2012

Jeff Woodhouse said:
No body or no other body could give a stuff about what lies beneath the surface of the water, just us in the main. Example: I visited a "Wildlife" reserve on Saturday, plenty of posters up with pictures of birds and stotes and badgers. I asked what fish stocks the lake held and ......... numbstruck faces. Does it matter? Well, yes, if it's a "WILDLIFE" reserve where's the wildlife below the surface of the water, just because your visitors can't see it doesn't mean it's not important.

Agree Jeff, and how many wildlife reserves have a body of water that are out of bounds for anglers? They must think we (Anglers) have nothing to offer as conservationists we are on our own to do our own work with no support from others, in short we are marginalised.

Nothing against a PR exercise if that is what it was so long as lessons are learned and the sport will benefit in the long run. Working together is the only way forward, same goes for the RSPB, we need all the friends and alliances we can get dont we?

chub_on_the_block · Sep 24, 2012

Theres an old pond i know where fishing was prohibited about 15 years ago. Looking at google Earth this SSSI it is now rapidly becoming infilled by reeds and emergent plants. It always had these features, but a bit of swim clearance here and there kept enough open water to maintain tench and roach, kingfishers etc. What will happen is that sooner or later the pond will require an expensive major makeover - clearing out larger areas of the invasive vegetation to maintain it as a pond with open water and to benefit the main features of wildlife interest such as the dragonflies, water voles and rare water plants and insects it supports. This could have been avoided if it was still open to sensitive, considerate angling - as it had been within living memory (a management regime which had supported its status as a SSSI) until teh National Trust changed its policy about 15 years ago.

In this case i suspect that over zealous swim clearance and the introduction of carp may have been to blame - in which case the National Trust were justified to ban the angling. If it was fished as it always was back in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s then angling and nature conservation may have continued to work well together.

laguna · Sep 24, 2012

Will Barnard said:
What about if it was the club that asked for some help and indeed were the ones to make a press issue of it eh?

Either way Will, we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Better to accept olive branches for the sake of introducing youngsters into our sport, its not as if Themes Water is against angling is it?
Seems like you can't do right for doing wrong mate!

tuolumne fisher · Sep 25, 2012

soz chaps for being at odds with the concensus of opinion, but I believe it is immoral
perhaps such compromises are what maintains the status quo
a generation of polluting, and not a proper squeak for change

laguna · Sep 25, 2012

I once coordinated the sewage flood relief scheme and was manager for Yorkshire water (dirty water brigade) area around Ilkley and know only too well that money paid in fines goes straight to the treasury. The river Aire suffered as a result of sewage overspill for years until we replaced all antiquated pipework.

Because "we" were in "charge" to manage the legacy of leaks, storm surges, spillages and such, no understanding or sympathy was ever forthcoming from the general public or press!

guest61 · Sep 25, 2012

laguna said:
Because "we" were in "charge" to manage the legacy of leaks, storm surges, spillages and such, no understanding or sympathy was ever forthcoming from the general public or press!

Twenty odd years ago I can remember the case for privatising water companies being put, one nice man said that by privatising the water companies it would be easier for them to raise the necessary investment to correct such issues as leaks and spills. This was b'lox at the time and years later still appears to be b'lox.

They were privatised, general managers became overnight executives and we still have problems. They will continue to get little sympathy.

laguna · Sep 25, 2012

bottle rocket said:
Twenty odd years ago I can remember the case for privatising water companies being put, one nice man said that by privatising the water companies it would be easier for them to raise the necessary investment to correct such issues as leaks and spills. This was b'lox at the time and years later still appears to be b'lox.

Themes water I cannot speak for nor other water authorities but Yorkshire water have to my knowledge, plugged the vast majority of leaks. There was a real public outcry when we were in draught (tankering water up and down the country) it became apparent that almost half of all pipework needed repairs with treated water loses approaching 60% in some communities. As for spills, there will always be 'incidences' and sudden surges but the capacity to hold more and discharge less is predictably future proof for the foreseeable.

They were privatised, general managers became overnight executives and we still have problems. They will continue to get little sympathy.

I was the open shirt guy who wore wellies and a hart hat, not a pretty sight (working with the dirty water engineers) and for some reason or other, thankfully was never invited to those hi-fly meetings?

tuolumne fisher · Sep 26, 2012

nice one chaps, it seems not all water companies behave the same as thames water
my concern is that with a donation of tackle, £500 or wotever, and the opportunity to enable two score and ten youngsters to try fishing, enables thames water to present an angler friendly persona
I do not believe anglers should engender thames water in such a fashion

Jeff Woodhouse · Sep 26, 2012

amushroom said:
I do not believe anglers should engender thames water in such a fashion

That's your belief Jim, but it doesn't make it illegal or immoral. TW has always tried to work closely with anglers and although they do upset us sometimes with their accidents and pollutions, I'd far rather be working with them to improve things than just sit at a PC calling them names.

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