Major damage to River Lugg in Herefordshire

[Hereford Voice]

Herefordshire Wildlife Trust have highlighted this destruction to a section of the River Lugg, in Herefordshire. 

One of the most beautiful and important rivers in the UK, has been intentionally destroyed over a stretch of approximately 1.5km with huge repercussions for wildlife downstream.

Herefordshire Wildlife Trust has discovered that the river and its banks have been bulldozed, straightened and reprofiled into a sterile canal, with all bankside and riverside habitats completely obliterated.

The Lugg flows from its source in Powys through Herefordshire before meeting the River Wye just outside Hereford. Its riverbanks, gravels and beds of water crowfoot are home to crayfish, otters and salmon, lampreys and dragonflies and a host of rare river wildlife.

The river is so important for willdife that it is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in its lower reaches.

This should give it multiple layers of protection, with statutory agencies such as Natural England, the Environment Agency, Forestry Commission and Herefordshire Council all given a statutory duty to protect the river from harm.

[Hereford Voice]

Following widespread condemnation of the eco vandalism on the River Lugg, the Environment Agency said;

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"We're mounting a wide-ranging investigation into reports of damage to the #RiverLugg, which is protected through SSSI status. We're treating this very seriously, working with Natural England and the Forestry Commission who have taken immediate action to prevent any further works at the site. 

We’ve used our powers of entry at the River Lugg #Herefordshire incident 14 specialist officers from the Environment Agency, Natural England, The Forestry Commission, West Mercia Police and Herefordshire Council are all now on site gathering information & evidence".