The Anglers’ Conservation Association (ACA) is delighted to report that it has made great progress in 2005 with cutting administration and office costs and can now increase the capacity of the legal team to fight more cases by recruiting another full-time solicitor.

The ACA now has more active cases than at any point in its 57 year history. Claims currently being made on behalf of ACA member clubs against polluters are valued at over £2 million.  Whatever the ACA wins for its members is ploughed straight back into angling.

However, the work of the ACA is not all about big pollution cases. The ACA’s in-house legal team has, just in the last two months, settled the following small cases, all of which are extremely important to the clubs concerned:

·                Secured compensation for an ACA member club on the River Lee in Enfield following the re-development of the site and the exclusion of the club from fishing it has previously fished during the time of Royal Ordnance factory on the Enfield Island.

·                Secured damages for another ACA member club in Worcestershire following the exclusion of the club from, and disruption to its water during weir maintenance work on the River Severn.

·                Obtained damages for another ACA member club in Yorkshire excluded from its water during maintenance work on a water company pumping station.

·                Successfully argued that a farmer in Essex did not have an alleged right of way that would have meant the filling in of an ACA member club’s lakes.

·                Ensured that an ACA member club in South Wales received compensation following a pollution incident and fish kill caused by the Royal Mint on the River Ely in 2005.

·                Successfully argued that the use of an ACA member club’s lakes in Worcestershire did not require an expensive planning permission application for a change to business use, which threatened the club with all manner of additional costs.

Director Mark Lloyd said:

“This string of successes is just a snapshot of our routine work.  These aren’t high profile court cases that make headlines, but they illustrate the invaluable job the ACA does every day for angling clubs.  All this work is entirely free to ACA member clubs.  Each case would have cost the club concerned at least £1,000 and possibly much more if they had gone to a high street solicitor.  When we go to court, the ACA covers all the costs – win or lose – of taking legal action.  All the damages go back to the club.  We urge all anglers and their clubs to join up, today.”

Chairman Dr. Stephen Marsh-Smith said:

“The new management appreciates the need to provide this (these) key service(s) at a price within the reach of every angler owner and club.  The committee is delighted with this year’s financial progress and the work of the legal team.  We are drawing up ambitious plans to take on new challenges in 2006.  We are very grateful to the thousands of anglers who support the changes we made and the Association’s work; many have re-joined the organisation during the past year.”