Dealing with Water Bailiffs and Landowners?

[krink]

Just do it mate, fuck em, just go enjoy yourself. Only time to be concerned is if Landy Toffwank starts shooting at you.

 

[Kingsway91]

In regards to Wales I was saying that the Welsh Canoe Union aren't negotiating any more access agreements, which seems the sensible option here.

You're behind the times fellah, Canoe Wales have been forced back into negotiation by the Welsh Government.

At the last Water Recreation Ministerial Advisory Group (WRMAG) meeting in Aberystwyth, a number of parties raised that the perceived position of Canoe Wales on access agreements was an impediment to progress. Ashley Charlwood agreed to clarify that position, and it was also agreed that Welsh Government officials would discuss this further with Canoe Wales.
The statement released by Canoe Wales here now addresses the concern about negotiating local agreements and arrangements, and provides clarity to local canoe clubs on their important role in negotiating new access agreements. The announcement has been welcomed by the Minister: http://www.twitter.com/envirominwales "Pleased Canoe Wales statement clarifies canoe clubs can negotiate local access. Should result in more recreation opportunities for Wales."

 

[Kingsway91]

River users should do what ramblers did to van Hoogstraaten - cut the wires, clear the obstacles, and give the "bailiffs" the finger.
I say "bailiffs", because I don't recall that water bailiffs, i.e. agents of the Department of the Environment, have the power to place obstacles in water courses. I suspect that rather than water bailiffs, these people were just toadies of the land-owner, and as such, could be enjoined to go and copulate with some livestock.

WBs are a historic and longstanding way of policing rivers. A very brief outline here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_bailiff

However, despite their police-like powers, there is little control of these guys or how they act and an appointment is often made from staff of the landowner/riparian owner, so they are very often rather determined in acting for those interests.

Recently things seem to be changing South of the Border, with WBs being directly engaged by the Environment Agency in England and In Scotland, by the various associations that administer river "Protection Orders" (which are very often not, but that's another thread), which again are often little more than a monopoly of vested interests lording it over everyone else.

Larger estates/riparian owners can still employ their own WBs and the vaugeries of the current legislation means that once appointed, they can operate on any waters in the entire catchment area regardless of them being wanted there or not. There has been a longstanding feud between WBs for the estate near me and the public waters downstream, which has led to stand-up fights and a farcical court hearing, on the riverbank where the WBs were eventually found well and truly guilty of harrassment but still got wrist-slap fines and kept their jobs/WB appointments!

Almost all the above is total nonsense, the only people with 'police-like powers' are the Environment Agency employed Enforcement Officers (sometimes wrongly called water bailiffs) these guys have exactly the same powers of arrest as a police constable.

Riparian owners and angling associations can appoint water bailiffs if they so wish to protect their fish and fishing rights from poachers and trespassers and they might receive training from EA Enforcement Officers in fishery protection, but they have no more powers in law than any other member of the public.

 

[likesfish]

its going to end badly for the fish torturers 30 years of negociations only 2% of water navigable meanwhile in scotland it was working.