Cumbria
As part of the deal, the Agency has agreed to pay £50,000 in damages to the ACA member club, the Yorkshire Flyfishers Club, which part owns and part leases the fishing rights upstream of the weir, for the loss of fishing in the two pools immediately upstream of the weir.
Most importantly for all sides, the parties have also agreed to instruct jointly an independent expert to see if any modifications can be made to the weir while at the same time ensuring the weir continues to provide flood warning to communities downstream and to function as a fish counter.
Guy Linley-Adams, solicitor at the ACA said:
“This is a very sensible and pragmatic settlement of a long-running dispute. The ACA recognises the difficulties the Agency often faces in balancing its complex and sometimes conflicting duties. Most importantly both sides have agreed to support a dispassionate and independent look at the weir to see what modifications might be made to it and what they might cost.”
Generally, the ACA now has more active cases than at any point in its 58 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. The ACA’s in-house legal team has just increased its strength, welcoming Dr Justin Neal as assistant solicitor.
Mark Lloyd, Executive Director at the ACA said:
“This agreement we have reached with the Agency once again shows why angling clubs, fishery owners and syndicates should be members of the ACA. If our members’ fishing is damaged for any reason, the ACA will seek compensation and find ways of restoring their fishing to its original condition where possible.”
Notes to Editors:
· The ACA was founded in 1948 with the purpose of using the law to fight to protect fisheries.
· Since that time, the ACA has won in excess of two thousand cases and recovered many millions of pounds in damages, which is returned to the members the ACA represents. Throughout our history, we have lost only three cases. At any one time, we typically have about fifty to sixty cases running and give clubs legal advice across the entire range of angling matters.
· Clubs wishing to join the ACA should phone 01568 620447 during office hours or download a subscription form from the web site: www.a-c-a.org
· The ACA’s Annual Report is available on request.
