Bad water vole habitat management?

[Ukwildlifeo]

Apologies for the long post:

The Ingrebourne Valley Nature Reserve is an important site for water voles both locally and nationally, as it is part of one of the biggest remaining populations in the country and its the first place I even saw one. It is also the best site locally for the banded demoiselle, being one of the few decent rivers in the area.

So last week when a friend told me they had done some less than sympathic work there I was quite worried. What I saw when I went there was quite shocking. The river had been dug down to an almost rectangular cross section with steep banks and all the vegetation on and between the banks removed


To make matters worse the mud was just dumped on the bankside vegetation.


This was carried out for a 700m stretch, which was almost the entire length of the stretch of river in the nature reserve. Surely it should have been done in stages -if at all! Thats half a mile of river with no food or cover in the river. There is now no sign of fish in the river and perches I seen kingfishers fly from have been cut back.

Whats worse I cant see any reason for it. The nearby path did sometimes flood but there are no house on eitherside for 100s of metres and they are high enough to be safe from flooding.

My question is, now water voles have an increased protection is this work recommended or even legal?

Ive looked on the defra website at the law in practice water vole section (page 3 of the pdf). NE86 Water Voles - the law in practice

It states it is illegal to

intentionally or recklessly damage, destroy or
obstruct access to any structure or place which
water voles use for shelter or protection or disturb
water voles while they are using such a place

Is there anyway they could have got permission/license to do this? Would it not have said they needed to carry out mitigation or at least do the work in stages?
And finally if they have done wrong who do I report to? (My previous attempts to contact the council have gone unanswered)

[pressld2]

That's shocking! I can't believe they can do that without mitigation.

They did some work a couple of years ago down at Crossness where they're building another energy from waste incinerator and they had to trap all the water voles and hotel them while the ditches re-established.

Dave P.

[Dogghound]

They should have carried out a water vole survey prior to this work. Are water vole actually within this stretch on along this river? As you say this is far from sympathetic management and if water voles are present here it could be highly damaging. This work has breached Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, in the respect that water voles (if they are) present have been significantly disturbed (section 9).

• intentionally or recklessly damage, destroy or obstruct access to any structure or place which water voles use for shelter or protection or disturb water voles while they are using such a place;

However "there is no provision under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 for licensing what would otherwise be offences for the purpose of development, maintenance or land management. Such activities must be covered by the defence in the Act that permits otherwise illegal actions if they are the incidental result of a lawful operation and could not reasonably be avoided". Which in my opinion this work could have been conducted in a far better manner than this, with strips or sections of bank done at a time. Unless they have removed voles, which is probably not the best way to deal with something like this.

If you are concerned I would contact your local NE office, or the owner of the land/EA. I know that this would not be acceptable with NE here at a vole site.

[dampflippers]

There are contact details of Havering's Countryside team on this website:
Havering - Local Nature Reserves

[Ukwildlifeo]

Originally Posted by dampflippers

There are contact details of Havering's Countryside team on this website:
Havering - Local Nature Reserves

When Ive contacted them on why they were cutting back vegetaion in spring and ripping up bluebells in previous years they havent even bothered to reply.

[Ukwildlifeo]

Originally Posted by Dogghound

They should have carried out a water vole survey prior to this work. Are water vole actually within this stretch on along this river?

They are (or were) definately there. There were plenty of burrows and I've seen the actual voles with my own eyes.

[Dogghound]

I would seriously think about contacting Natural England.

[thunder]

Originally Posted by Ukwildlifeo

They are (or were) definately there. There were plenty of burrows and I've seen the actual voles with my own eyes.

Did you report them to anybody?

henrya

[Ukwildlifeo]

Originally Posted by thunder

Did you report them to anybody?

henrya

Ive reported sightings to the local wildlife sighting website but if you look at the link posted by damp flippers the council are aware of it as they mention water voles.

[Ukwildlifeo]

I have now emailed the council but don't expect a response.

Ive been pointed int he direction of a fishing forum and it one poster says they spoke to someone from the EA who said it was part of flood prevention. So the people you report this kind of destruction too are the same people that carry it out.