Ecologists want to close Ashby Canal

THE ecologists in the form of Natural England want to close the Ashby Canal to boats to protect its ecology from disturbance, and they are backed by the anglers.

Make no mistake, the ever powerful Natural England means business, for all too often British Waterways and now Canal & River Trust have given way to its demands, in their 'green' thinking. It fact the Trust has its own ecologists, its latest scheme being 'rafts' of islands along the Regent Canal in London, much against the wishes of boaters.

Shackerstone Rally

But now Natural England is demanding that the Ashby Canal and particularly the events such as the Shackerstone Rally that is scheduled for the weekend of the 6th and 7th of September be stopped as the boats using the waterway and attending such rallies cause disturbance to the ecology.

Of course the angling clubs along the waterway are more than pleased to back Natural England, as they to would like the canal to themselves with no boats disturbing their activities.

Stopped restoration

Already Natural England had stopped the restoration of a bridge on the Ashby Canal when a particular breed of newts was discovered, stopping all work for months on end whilst they bred.

And the power the ecologists have wielded on the restoration of the Montgomery Canal is legion, even demanding—and getting—wetlands and the like to pacify their ever more ridiculous demands. It is universally accepted that, if it had not been for Natural England and the like the Montgomery would have been completely restored by now, but this is more and more looking like an impossibility.

Core activity

We all know that since Canal & River Trust came into being as a charity, is has become all things to all people, but it must stop, and concentrate on its core activity—the canals and its boats.

The canals were built for boats and were kept and restored with a great deal of effort for boats, and they must not be allowed to become nothing more than once again stagnant water parks for Natural England.

Tom Crossley