But Robert Russell, from Hatch Gardens, next to Burgh Heath, condemned the move as an overreaction which threatens wildife in the area, such as herons, who eat fish. He said: "What about the native wildlife who depend on this resource? It would only be the local herons (and anyone who likes to see these birds) who would suffer. That is just an overreaction to a small problem. There are a few lads who I have seen fishing there but they all seemed to be behaving okay."
The pond is owned by the council but managed by Banstead Common Conservators. Council leader Councillor Joan Spiers, who represents Kingswood and Burgh Heath, said: "They were removed because we get huge amounts of anti-social behaviour, normally associated with night-time fishing. They keep residents awake with noise, shouting and the radio. We have more cans there after a pleasant evening and it's just not reasonable. They drink, get drunk, have loud music and fight."
In response to wildlife concerns, she said: "We leave enough fish for the herons but not enough fish for these thugs to fish. They are not all removed because we want them to breed again." Simon Cowell, founder of the Wildlife Aid Foundation (WAF) in Leatherhead, said: "Why take fish out to stop angling? It seems absurd. Why not stop angling? It seems a better idea to police it better or get local residents to."
2 comments:
The words "anti-social" must mean the opposite in Britain. We Yanks consider drinking, loud music, and fishing to be social occasions. And lack of fish doesn't stop that kind of thing.
The harbour I used to fish at (obsessively) when I was a kid is now off-limits because of anti-social, drunken idiots.
15 foot high steel barriers were put up to stop the aforesaid idiots casting, and hooking, people on the ferry as it went by. Now, no one can fish there.
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