River campaigners say the river Stour has become so choked with excess reed and tree growth that in places it represents a danger to canoeists and other river users. The River Stour Trust and Sudbury Canoe Club are launching a new joint campaign to restore the waterway.
Issues with the river were once again highlighted by the River Stour Trust’s annual Sudbury to the Sea event earlier in September when 200 canoeists and paddle boarders endeavoured to navigate the 26 miles of the river from Sudbury to Cattawade.
“Frankly, in places the reed growth was so thick there was barely room for a single canoe to squeeze through,” says River Stour Trust chair Steve Giudici. “We also noticed many instances of invasive plants like Himalayan balsam and giant hogweed getting firmly established along the riverbanks.”
Now the Trust, in partnership with Sudbury Canoe Club, is seeking volunteers to join work parties who will endeavor to open the river once again.
“The Trust was established back in 1968 to maintain navigation rights on the river,” said Mr Giudici, “and although we’ve done a pretty good job where our passenger launches operate from Sudbury and Flatford, the same is not true of the areas in between.
“There was a time when the Environment Agency would have undertaken this work, but they are now so underfunded that it falls to volunteers to fill the gaps. If we don’t do it, it simply won’t get done.”
Sudbury Canoe Club chair Nikki McGenn points out that one of the worst areas is the section of river upstream of Ballingdon Bridge and across the Sudbury Water Meadows. “This part of the river is a favourite for many paddlers,” she said. “Only a few years ago it was possible to paddle from Sudbury upstream and use either the right fork which leads to the Floodgate Pool, near the Mill Hotel, or the left fork to what’s known as the Salmon Leap.
“Today neither is safely possible. The tangle of willow branches and reed growth represents a genuine danger, especially to inexperienced paddlers who could easily be capsized. We make an annual effort to keep the growth under control, but to be honest it has been a losing battle.”
Anyone interested in joining the work parties is invited to contact the River Stour Trust on 01787 313199 or email administrator@riverstourtrust.org