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River Medway, Kent - EA Ashurst Weir Demolition

Ray, I have about twenty photos taken on my mobile phone, how would you like me to send them to you, Whats App, e-mail ?
PM me you e-mail address or mobile phone number if you want to, I won`t bother you with anything else.
Thanks again for your input, much appreciated.
Thanks to you also Bill for the offer of going to Fordcombe to save me the journey.
 
Kevin...My email address is rollingpinboy@aol.com. If you send me them all or the best ones, then i can sort them out. Also, i am looking for some pics before the carnage to compare, but not worried when they were taken like in summer or other time. ..or even when the EA/Contractors are chopping the trees etc. Thanks again and everyone else.
 
When having a look at Green and Blue Infrastructure and action plans for the area it seems the writing has been on the wall for a while.
Sometimes you have to dig deep into PDF files though.
Weir removal has been sited as negating riparian maintenance costs,...improving access for fish, (including Lampreys) and canoes ( of course) throughout the Medway.....................

The Environment Agency’s aim is to open the River Medway fully to both canoes and fish, with recreational use taking place throughout the year (other than during floods).
Quote.
...............................
http://www.waterprojectsonline.com/case_studies/2010/EA_River_Medway_Canoe_2010.pdf

It's always debatable if losing impounded water is beneficial to all riverine species,..including coarse anglers!
Beautiful river,..feel for the Medway danglers.
 
Sorry lads have to say this the best thing they could do is knock chafford weir down me and my family have been round fordcombe for most of are lives so I can speak from a point when chafford weir was not there the medway was such a better river when the weir was not there know its a mud hole a hell of a lot narrower that it was I seen the photos and still have family members than can remember the water flowing over the fields in the winter the river itself was cleaner because it had proper flow with a level that was about 3 feet up from what it is know the habitat for breeding fish was there to as the medway at the top end is all gravel walk up there know and you will find near on every gravel bed silted over due to the lack of flow ask any person that lives in forcombe from the humble farmer to the avid fisherman no one ever understood why it was built the farmers got the benefit every winter with the floods came the silt that was washed up on to the fields and ploughed in I can go back at least 10 years when it was first mentioned about the weirs going in fact further than that its been about 20 years since I first heard the rumour
 
David
Interesting point...I fished the Mudway as we used to call it from 82 to 99 when I moved and in that time rarely saw anyone above the RTWAS stretch at Fordcombe. It was I think Civil Service waters. I remember fields under water on a few occasions but more often very low water in summer, not sure how not having a weir would improve that plus I cannot see how the farmer would want a wider/meandering river.
 
Hi Paul

it was the silt the farmers liked every winter all of the fields around the medway were cereal fields know they are all arable because the ground is of such poor nutrient value the difference it would make to the medway add about 2 foot on the high if not a little more alas to say I think this is all far to late for the upper medway its know no more than a stream with a few fish in it as above chafford weir it all belongs to nat west bank and has done for about 50 years used to be some great roach fishing just below chafford bridge can remember many a hour as a kid trotting a float down through there you used to be able to buy a day ticket for nat west from a bailiff that used to live just up chafford lane alas to say he has been long gone know he also used to allow kids to fish for free if you were related to somebody who lived in the village or lived in the village those were the days but as said before the mudway as you put it lol is a dying river at it top end
 
David ... I had some good fish at the bottom end of the Ashurst stretch but often access was a nightmare due to maize...Also fished Hartfield for trout all very small...but rarely saw a soul. Did have a tench one February at Fordcombe that is probably still the Mudway record...
 
Hi Paul
its just not the river anywhere near it used to be depletion of gravel beds due to chafford weir slowing the flow which has dramatically effected the fish reproduction fish mostly nights myself lower ashurt was lovely if you wanted to get away from the crowds had some cracking barbell down at lower ashurt fished the mudway for years still miss it in some ways just live to far away know and if it was worth it I would re join know the present committee has changed by all accounts they have a better grip but with the kennet/thames/loddon all on my doorstep know just cant see me ever going back lol
 
Dave Taylor said:
When having a look at Green and Blue Infrastructure and action plans for the area it seems the writing has been on the wall for a while.
Sometimes you have to dig deep into PDF files though.
Weir removal has been sited as negating riparian maintenance costs,...improving access for fish, (including Lampreys) and canoes ( of course) throughout the Medway.....................

The Environment Agency’s aim is to open the River Medway fully to both canoes and fish, with recreational use taking place throughout the year (other than during floods).
Quote.
...............................
http://www.waterprojectsonline.com/case_studies/2010/EA_River_Medway_Canoe_2010.pdf

It's always debatable if losing impounded water is beneficial to all riverine species,..including coarse anglers!
Beautiful river,..feel for the Medway danglers.
Click to expand...

Worth reading Daves link again above...Canoe and boat Navigation etc is prime in the weirs removal as is the commercialism aspect...and not just the fish migration reasoning. Flood Defence fish, bird, wildfowl, bat, kingfisher and mammal etc habitat destruction, mass mechanical weed cutting destroying fish, insect, wildfowl, bird and riverine mammal and amphibian habitat, tree removal and dredging... all seem part and parcel to the EA's strategy... 'Creating a Better Place' . For what and who is the question...Common sense and the completely obvious says it Don't and Won't benefit anything, especially wildlife, fish and the riverine protected habitat.
 
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