Anglers angry over beach byelaw plans

People in Rother are now being asked what they think of proposed changes to local laws. Worried anglers have raised a 1,500-name petition and are urging people to let the council know their views individually.

Anglers’ spokesman and Bexhill resident Neil Smith said: “The new rules seek to restrict fishing from the seashore on a stretch of the front at Bexhill between May 1 and September 30 each year.

“As well as other measures that ban or restrict activities as varied as kite-flying and horse riding, a further byelaw would forbid fishing ‘in such a manner as to cause danger, obstruction or annoyance to any person using the seashore’.”

Mr Smith, local representative for the Sussex Sea Anglers’ Network (SSAN), said: “It’s this that’s even more threatening to the pursuit of our hobby than the first. Who decides what a danger, obstruction or annoyance is?

“And it’s not just fishing. New rules will apply to bait-digging, too. Restrictions appear to apply to the whole of the Rother shoreline, from the Kent border near Camber almost through to Pevensey Bay.”

The anglers have served Freedom of Information requests on Rother, asking to see evidence behind the proposed byelaws, and have asked for a meeting with the council’s chief legal officer.

But Mr Smith stressed that they would “rather talk to the council than protest” and felt it was a shame talks hadn’t taken place before new rules were drafted. “Perhaps we could have shown them how misguided they are?” he said.

He added: “Beach fishing brings huge benefits to the area. We know from people’s comments that they holiday here to fish, and the proposed law gives the wrong message.

“Can the council afford to alienate such people at a time when the local economy needs all the help it can get?”

Steve Hanks, proprietor of Sackville Road fishing shop Hook, Line and Sinker, and a keen angler himself, said: “It’s a pity no-one took the trouble to come and talk to the angling community about these proposals before they were drafted.

“It’s caused a lot of anger and whereas anglers tend to be people who fish by themselves or with just a few friends, this issue is really bringing them together, not only here in Bexhill but on a much broader front.”

Mr Hanks, a committee member for IFCA, the Inshore Fisheries Conservation Association, added: “It’s vital that we get our message across and that the council listens to what we have to say.”

Rother’s chief executive Derek Stevens said: “The draft byelaw is out to consultation and we are asking for public opinion on the councillors’ suggestion of restricting angling on an approximately 475 metre long section of the beach in Bexhill between 6am and 9pm from May 1 to September 30. Fishing would still be allowed from any other part of the beach, which stretches for several miles.

“A draft proposal to prevent bait-digging in the area on the same conditions is also suggested. However, it is important to note these are only draft proposals at the moment and nothing has been decided yet.

“The very purpose of the consultation, which closes on June 3, is for people to tell us what they think so that councillors can consider their opinions before making a final suggestion on these byelaws.

“If anglers don’t agree with the proposed changes then we actively encourage them to tell us. All correspondence will be taken seriously by councillors in their deliberations.

“These suggestions form part of a comprehensive review of council byelaws. Comments should be sent to our legal administrative officer Natasha Fielden at [email protected] “

• The anglers’ petition is available at Mr Hanks’ shop or on-line at: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bexhill_beach_fishing_byelaw/