| River Wylye – Bathampton to Chilhampton | No | |
| CUTTING | CLEARING DOWN | Days |
| Free weed cutting period – Wed 14th & Tues 27th April | 3 | |
| Thurs 13th – Sun 23rd May | Mon 24th & Tues 25th May | 13 |
| Mon 28th June – Tues 13th July | Wed 14th & Thurs 15th July | 18 |
| Mon 16th – Mon 23rd Aug | Tues 24th & Wed 25th Aug | 10 |
| 44 | ||
| River Wylye – Below Chilhampton | ||
| CUTTING | CLEARING DOWN | |
| Free weed cutting period – Wed 14th & Tues 27th April | 3 | |
| Sun 16th – Wed 26th May | Thurs 27th & Fri 28th May | 13 |
| Wed 30 Jun – Thurs 15th July | Fri 16th & Sat 17th July | 18 |
| Wed 18th – Wed 25th Aug | Thurs 26th & Fri 27th Aug | 10 |
| 44 | ||
| River Nadder | ||
| CUTTING | CLEARING DOWN | |
| Free weed cutting period – Wed 14th & Tues 27th April | 3 | |
| Thurs 13th – Sun 23rd May | Mon 24th & Tues 25th May | 13 |
| Mon 28th June – Tues 13th July | Wed 14th & Thurs 15th July | 18 |
| Mon 16th – Mon 23rd Aug | Tues 24th & Wed 25th Aug | 10 |
| 44 | ||
| River Avon – Above Crossing ‘C’ | ||
| CUTTING | CLEARING DOWN | |
| Fri 23rd April to Fri 7th May | Sat 8th & Sun 9th May | 17 |
| Sat 12th to Thurs 24th June | Fri 25th & Sat 26th June | 15 |
| Sat 24th July to Mon 2nd Aug | Tues 3rd & Wed 4th August | 12 |
| 44 | ||
| River Avon – Below Crossing ‘C’ | ||
| CUTTING | CLEARING DOWN | |
| Tues 27th Apr to Tues 11th May | Wed 12th & Thurs 13th May | 17 |
| Wed 16th to Mon 28th June | Tues 29th & Wed 30th Jun | 15 |
| Mon 26th July to Wed 4th August | Thurs 5th & Fri 6th August | 12 |
| 44 | ||
IMPORTANT NOTICE: EA WEED BOOM DEPLOYMENT DURING CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
We are continuing our discussions with the Environment Agency and are hopeful they will be able to install their booms in Salisbury & Chilhampton in 2021, however, this has NOT yet been confirmed. Further updates will be posted on the WFA website as soon as we have more information. Thank you for your continued support.
*Free Weed Cut – River Wylye & Nadder
Allows for a Maximum 3-days light cutting (by hand only) from 14th to 27th April, which includes clearing down. You MUST inform your downstream neighbour before cutting and when you have finished clearing down. Clubs should try to remove cut weed where possible only allowing the minimum amount to travel downstream. Representatives from EA, NE & WFA will continue to monitor weed cutting.
*EA weed booms will not be deployed during the period of the Free weed cut.
*Areas where there are salmon and trout redds and potential for juvenile fry emergence, especially after a cold winter/early spring, should be left uncut.
IMPORTANT NOTES
Under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations, 2010 – ‘Exempt Water Discharge Activity’ – The Environment Agency allows members of the Wiltshire Fishery Association to cut weed on the agreed dates and in accordance with the conditions of the exemption.
This program of dates is now agreed for 2021 and there is no intention to amend it unless circumstances arise when this is necessary. In that event, the changes will be posted on the WFA website http://wiltshirefisheryassociation.org under “NEWS” and circulated to River Email Groups. Before you cut weed, it is your responsibility to check both the website and your email group.
- With the exception of the *Free Weed Cut in April on the Wylye and Nadder (see separate notes above), cutting MUST start at the beginning of the dates allowed.
- You MUST inform your downstream neighbour before cutting and when you have finished clearing down and of any subsequent problems.
- Regular communication with your upstream and downstream neighbours is essential to ensure trouble-free weed cutting and clearing down.
- Cutting of weed outside of the authorised dates, without the Agency’s consent, constitutes an offence under Section 90 of the Water Resources Act 1991.
- Unauthorised cutting should be reported immediately to the Environment Agency using their Pollution Hotline Tel: 0800 80 70 60 – Note the exact location (grid reference), date & time & take photographs. Do not enter neighbouring property unless you have permission to do so.
- Weed cutting should be undertaken in a manner that is sensitive to the needs of the river habitat. Overzealous cutting of in-river weed or marginal vegetation can significantly reduce water levels, which can have a negative impact on invertebrates, fish and other wildlife.
- In all cases the final two days, as shown separately in the table above, MUST be regarded as ‘clearing down’ days and any weed not cut before these days, left uncut. In some circumstances, especially in low water periods, you may need to extend the period of clearing down beyond two days, to ensure there’s plenty of time for cut weed to move through the system.
- Report all blockages and any other weed related issues immediately to the WFA Hon Sec:
For WFA membership and other enquires contact: Bob Wellard – Honorary Secretary
Office: 01747851418 Mobile: 07872583910 Email: wfa.honsec@btinternet.com
Website: http://wiltshirefisheryassociation.org
