No chicks this year.
- 1 September 2012 17:31189447the difference between picture 2 and picture 3 is remarkable, no doubt the water fowl like the vegetation but a good cutting back is needed for the general appearance.
- Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
1 September 2012 17:58189452When I walk from the traffic lights to Morrisons the only bit of water I can see is by the Bridge Street bridge and the weir the rest is weed or reed.
Today was a pallet or something like that with rubbish building up behind it near the bridge, maybe Charlie will blame that on Morrisons as well.-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
------------------------------------------------------------------- - Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
1 September 2012 18:07189454jan,i didnt see the pallet this morning [0810],i did look over the parapit on both sides of the road. - Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
1 September 2012 18:11189455It is under the water Bridge Street end fairly near where the moorhens nest, I saw it at about 9.30.-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
------------------------------------------------------------------- - 2 September 2012 22:32189605Thank you Roger for your e-mail and the reply from the E.A.
Shall we let our members guess what the reply was????????lmao.
grass grows by the inches but dies by the feet. - 3 September 2012 07:52189642I think you will find Ian that those fined in River for fishing were in fact only fined because a resident pressed charges, after he asked those fishing to move on and was then verbally assaulted with foul and threatening language.
The vegetation is as bad in all parts of the river and it grows back as quick as you pull it out. The one clear part is where the river runs behind the Crabble Corn Mill from the mill pond and that is because the Environment Agency do not recognise that as part of the River Dour as it is not on their map.
It is only about 100 yards long and can only be seen from the Mill garden or where it joins back into the river Dour.
The ducks have done quite well this year along the Mill stretch of the Dour, they had a good amount of young survive.The problem there is not dogs but motorists who drive like idiots along Lower Road and run the wild fowl over, just as they did the Swan by the Mill a couple of months ago.
Kent Highways do not want to know, even though we have asked for signs, but one day it will not be wild fowl run over, but a family who will be there feeding the ducks. - 4 September 2012 19:11190008Sent you an e-mail Roger.grass grows by the inches but dies by the feet.
- 5 September 2012 06:14190053Yes, I've got that Ian.
As Ian said above, I have written to the EA and had a reply offering to have a meeting at Barton Path. I did ask Ian if he would be able to attend, but he has a new job with long hours and so unable to attend, but has given me some questions to ask.
If anyone who knows the river and is concerned about the state of it and why it is in this condition and would like to come along - 12th. of September at 2pm, please email me. If you can't come along, but do have questions to ask, send them to me (lindenrog@aol.com).
Roger - 14 September 2012 18:22191496Obviously no one wanted to come along or send me any questions; anyway, I met with Tom Reid and Emma Ventham of the Environment Agency, Kirk Alexander of WCCP, Alison Beaumont, the Community Warden and a chap called Terry Whitehead, who lives in Charlton Avenue along Barton Path to look at and discuss various issues with the River Dour.
It was accepted that there is perhaps a little too much vegetation in the river and so the EA are going to clear some of it out in early October; it does add to it being a very healthy river. In fact it is so healthy and attractive that people from Canterbury (who are responsible for their river) envy us and our river and are looking to have much more plant-life in their river - taking a leaf out of our book (or river), so to speak.
We have perhaps one of, if not the most healthiest chalk streams in the Country.
One of the issues that would involve DDC is that as the Council is the landowner with riparian rights over much of the channel (from the far bank to the centre of the river), it would be able to post signs advising dog owners it is an offence to encourage/allow their dogs into the river during the bird breeding season, or anytime of the year.
The signs would need to be pointing across the river, people will know that it applied to the whole river; enforcement of this restriction would be the responsibility of the Council as it is the landowner.
It is an offence for nests, wild-birds and their eggs to be damaged in this way; the "Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981" - http://legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/69 allows for prosecutions to be made.
Here is an extract from that law:
Protection of wild birds, their nests and eggs.E+W
(1)Subject to the provisions of this Part, if any person intentionally— (a)kills, injures or takes any wild bird;
F1(aa)takes, damages or destroys the nest of a wild bird included in Schedule ZA1;]
(b)takes, damages or destroys the nest of any wild bird while that nest is in use or being built; or
(c)takes or destroys an egg of any wild bird, he shall be guilty of an offence.
(2)Subject to the provisions of this Part, if any person has in his possession or control—
(a)any live or dead wild bird or any part of, or anything derived from, such a bird; or
(b)an egg of a wild bird or any part of such an egg, he shall be guilty of an offence.
Subject to the provisions of this Part, if any person intentionally [F14or recklessly]—
(a)disturbs any wild bird included in Schedule 1 while it is building a nest or is in, on or near a nest containing eggs or young; or (b)disturbs dependent young of such a bird, he shall be guilty of an offenceF15.
[F16(6)For the purposes of this section the definition of "wild bird in section 27(1) is to be read as not including any bird which is shown to have been bred in captivity.
If this is felt not to be strong enough to enforce (but it must be as it is a law), then a new bye-law could be written - I understand that the Coalition Government are relaxing the rules on setting up local government bye-laws.
This would also be a very useful addition to the new zero-tolerance enforcement people, so I have written to the CSU Manager asking if it can/will be included in their responsibilities. I have also written to the legal people at DDC for their view.
There is also the problem of illegal fishing, so a notice can be put up about that too and as this is illegal, it can be enforced by these new enforcement officers.
I'm not sure why the River Dour Steering Group haven't picked up any of this - in fact I thought it had folded.
Roger - 14 September 2012 18:41191500forgot all about it roger, the river dour steering group was a town council thing i seem to remember, that never actually got off the ground.
- 14 September 2012 19:33191511The main problem with illegal fishing is there's no legal fishing - as I am lead to believe there is in Canterbury.
If only DDC could issue fishing licences for a fee in the means of a badge which should be visible when fishing, they would make a significant amount of money from the licences which could then be ploughed back into the river for improvements and restocking, and they would have the eyes of the legal fishers watching out for the illegal ones. If you look at the fees charged elsewhere for daily permits to fish a chalkstream the sums wouldn't be insignificant.
And before the naysayers come on and say it can't be done, I've got one in my fishing bag for another river where the council has done exactly this and is enjoying the benefits mentioned. - Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
14 September 2012 20:15191520Thank you Roger, very interesting.
The only ones I have seen fishing are older children who most likely would carry on regardless of needing a licence, there would have to be somebody to enforce them.-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
------------------------------------------------------------------- - 14 September 2012 20:20191521roger is suggesting that the new enforcement team would include that in their itinerary jan.
- Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
14 September 2012 21:09191527I doubt they will be around 12 hours a day, 7 days a week during the summer.-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
------------------------------------------------------------------- - 14 September 2012 21:29191528They may be Jan - If enough people are recruited, they could be on shift work; don't forget that (as far as I am aware - but please don't quote me), they will be sharing the fine income with DDC so the more they catch and fine, the more income to share/earn - on all sorts of offences.
Roger