Anglers urged to help overturn Wingerworth angling ban

The Angling Trust has issued a ‘call to arms’ to anglers in the Derbyshire region to help overturn the Wingerworth Lido angling ban which saw Clay Cross Angling Society evicted from the water they had looked after for more than 25 years.

Following lobbying from the Angling Trust on behalf of the club, North East Derbyshire District Council have agreed to review their earlier decision and the whole issue is now back out for consultation.

Angling Ban Goes Back to Drawing Board

Wingerworth Lido has always been a public access, multi-use site and when the Council announced plans to designate it a ‘biodiversity hub’ some individuals tried to suggest angling was somehow problematic on a wildlife site. This was comprehensively disproved in briefings sent to every member of the Council demonstrating that their objective in creating a local nature reserve is in no way incompatible with retaining angling on the site. In fact, the Angling Trust provided them with many examples from across the country of good joint working between angling clubs and local Wildlife Trusts including here in Derbyshire.

The angling ban triggered a vigorous campaign to save angling on the Lido and a well supported petition promoted by local angler James Duffy that made national headlines. It seems now that a solution may be in sight as long as angling receives a thumbs up in the consultation which ends on 23rd November.

The Angling Trust has written to all its members and affiliated clubs in the region urging them to get behind their fellow anglers and respond to the consultation in numbers to large to ignore.

How to respond

The online consultation is also available here.  Just click the link, complete the survey and submit by the deadline of 23rd November.

Written representations also can be sent to [email protected] by the deadline of 23rd November.

Angling Trust CEO Jamie Cook said:

“After a long battle we are hopeful of getting Clay Cross Angling Association back fishing on Wingerworth Lido in the near future. We cannot ever accept the principle that angling has no place on nature reserves. That would establish a very dangerous precedent that would be used against us all over the country. This public consultation is a great opportunity for the angling community to come together and stand up for our right to fish. We need to stick together on this one – it could be your water next!”

Bill Parkin, Chair of Clay Cross Angling Association added:

“We are delighted with the support our club has received from the Angling Trust and everyone else who has got behind the campaign to get us fishing again on Lido. Hopefully this consultation is our route back so it really would be helpful to have a big response from anglers in our favour.”

CLICK HERE for a copy of the letter sent to Angling Trust members in Derbyshire