As a local lad, some 50 years ago I used to fish and swim in that part of the river decimated at Kingsland.

The salmon would wait in the river’s deep slow holes for water levels to allow them to negotiate the weir a short distance above the bridge.

The annual spectacle of salmon negotiating the weirs on the river Lugg as they strive toward their spawning grounds in the upper reaches of the river is missed by many sadly, as they might fully appreciate the value of the river’s eco system.

Miles of the Lugg suffered the same canal-like modification at the hands of the authorities, close to Leominster where the beautifully meandering course, its banks rich with colonies of sand martins, water fowl, kingfishers and many species of water wildlife sharing recreational pools enjoyed by many.

And this morning I sit and look over open countryside and notice there is no wildlife any longer, everywhere so clinical, habitats lost, not even a rabbit here so close to Queenswood.

I can’t remember the call of a curlew.

What have we done?

Richard Harris
Canon Pyon

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