On 29 Sep 2009 at 9:07pm Mick Deacon wrote:
As a reaction to the shameful amount of debris that has accumulated in the river in the central lewes, I have organised a clean-up day on saturday October 10th.
The immediate objective is to remove some of the build-up of debris from the area below cliffe bridge, ie the rubble rapids, and the trolley reef below willeys bridge. Hopefully heightening public awareness to the problem and thereby in the long-term, getting the relevant parties to work out who's responsible for keeping the river free of general debris in the future, not just trolleys which are deemed as a flood risk and are dealt with as such by the EA, but unfortunately, video players, bikes and traffic cones and old industrial waste aren't seen in quite the same way.
The event is being covered by the Sussex Express, and the Evening Argus is doing a pre-event piece too, and rocket radio is doing a piece about the day due to air on oct 27th. Sussex Ouse Conservation Society is bringing ropes grapples and waders etc. Mark Owen will be there from The Angling Trust. Also Norman Baker will be there to show his support, A skip is to be donated by Sussex Skips.
I hope this will be the start of an on-going pro-active scheme with wardens being trained to clean-up and maintain the river, in a similar way done for the Pells and the Railway land. Also I will be inviting the supermarkets to support us and have them install 'coin key' type trolleys as they trade on an environmentally sensitive site, as they do in Portslade (Tesco) and Whitehawk (Lidl), perhaps some of you who prefers trolleys to remain out of the river can request this from them. At present they say the Lewes Public don't want them.
It would be great to get some get people down to offer help and support, so come on down and pass it on please.
thanks
er, waders would be a bonus
Mick Deacon
On 29 Sep 2009 at 9:52pm What a pity wrote:
They can't make the benefit scroungers help with these clean ups!
On 29 Sep 2009 at 9:58pm More of a pity... wrote:
... that they don't make cleaning the Ouse a paid job that the unemployed could do. for real wages.
On 29 Sep 2009 at 10:12pm Chav wrote:
No good asking me, I cant swim
On 29 Sep 2009 at 10:46pm WALL-E wrote:
Nice one Mick. Who do we contact to take part? No bother asking Tesco. Paul the duty Manager just gazed over the Ouse whilst we were picking up broken glass and carrier bags which had been left behind by Tesco customers on the river bank just 5 metres away from him. Challenged whether he feels some sort of remote responsibility for their rubbish I was told no. What a waste of space of a Manager and so typical for Tesco.
On 29 Sep 2009 at 11:02pm Mick Deacon wrote:
Thanks WALL E
anyone who would like to participate can just be there on the day or if you like to clarify anything, you can call me on 0775 1137 057
On 29 Sep 2009 at 11:16pm MC wrote:
I'm game for this. I'm thoroughly fed up about the state of the UK rivers and it's time somehitng was done about them. If Lewes was on the continent the river would be seen as an asset, an area for relaxing, with bars and restaurants, grassy areas and punts.. and err.. things.
Instead the Lewes Ouse is ignored and mainly used as a dump. I think some of the rubbish between Willeys and the Cliffe bridges has been in there since the 50s! Curently you can see all sorts of stuff in it; shopping trolleys, video recorders, traffic cones etc. It really is a disgrace.
What's more of a disgrace is no-one ever clears it out. What have the council done? Nowt, nothing, zilch, ever! The Environment Agency too.
I'll be at Clife bridge on Saturday the 10th at 10. I even have a pair of waders (although I see the tide is very, very low at midday on the 20th).
Well done Mick!
On 30 Sep 2009 at 6:22pm popeye wrote:
It needs more than waders up near the bridge at Sutherham, just before you go under the railway bridge there is a huge pile of silt and debris ie old pipes a huge lump of concrete etc. One of the boat owners further down said that he hit two underwater objects near the bend so it seems like a dredger would be more appropiate up that end. Who would be responsible for carrying out that work?
On 30 Sep 2009 at 6:54pm Mick Deacon wrote:
Thanks Popeye
That's good info. The EA are, I believe, responsible for ensuring that the river is free of obstructions to water craft. if not the riparian owners, who are in this case I believe the Crown Estate. I hope that we can create enough momentum to eventually clear all the old 'fly-tipping' which has been dumped in the river for well over a hundred years. If anyone has any good Knowledge on this subject it would be great to hear it.
On 30 Sep 2009 at 8:19pm Keeley wrote:
Good one nice to see someone doing something pro-active
On 30 Sep 2009 at 8:52pm Chav wrote:
Yeah wear waders. You dont wanna get your sandals and socks wet now do ya?
On 1 Oct 2009 at 10:53am jonnyboy wrote:
Good on you Mick. I've returned a number of trolleys, to Waitrose, that I've found on the Railway land. Whilst they're always grateful, I too have been told that the Lewes public don't want "coin key" trolleys. The truth is that many in the retail industry regard deposit locks as " negative retailing". Many supermarkets now fit Radlocks to their trolleys. When a trolley fitted with these, reaches the supermarket boundary, a spring-loaded drag brake operates and the trolley becomes impossible to manoeuvre. Back in Feb 2009 the Telegraph reported that trolleys dumped in rivers and canals cost the taxpayer £150000 p.a. to clear up. Later this year British Waterways plans to award a "golden trolley" award to the most environmentally responsible supermarket, and an "off your trolley" prize to the retailer doing the least to tackle the problem. Robin Evans, chief executive of British Waterways, said: "Shopping trolleys are symbolic of the mindless pollution that takes place along our canals and rivers every year and quite frankly we are fed up with having to clean up after other people.
"The annual cost of recovering the trolleys, which equates to just 18 minutes of profit from the UK's leading retailers, is money we would otherwise spend on much needed maintenance and repairs to the nation's historic waterways. See you on the 10th.
On 1 Oct 2009 at 11:51am Merlin Milner wrote:
Before the Malling flood defences were to be built, Tesco told me that they were considering putting a electrical ring buried in the ground around the perimeter of Tesco. This would stop modified trolleys from being wheeled ouside the Tesco area because the wheels would lock up. They felt that it could be installed when the flood defence work was to carried out.
Tesco sadly have not implemented this and we are still getting trolleys in the river and around town.
On 1 Oct 2009 at 1:42pm down and out wrote:
Only marginally related but earlier this year my daughter, 13, was on her way back from Priory with a couple of friends when they came across a Waitrose trolley opposite All Saints, Since she has to walk past Waitrose on the way home she decided just to wheel it back to the shop. Within the space of 100 yards two separate miserable elderly gits had abused her, shouting stuff about antisocial behaviour and the like. So her and her friends just left the trolley where it was.
You can imagine what she now thinks about doing anything which might be considered to be community-minded.
On 1 Oct 2009 at 2:17pm Merlin Milner wrote:
Most of the people I have seen wheeling trolleys about town have been able bodied adults not children or youths.
On 1 Oct 2009 at 2:59pm marginally related 2 wrote:
on another marginally related note my son was actually hit by an elderly woman for riding his bike on the pavement by the offham road. He didn't feel safe on the road at that time of day and stopped to let the "lady" past, to be met by a volley of abuse and invective about 'the youth of today'. I don't mind people telling my kids off in public if they have been anti-social but I wonder whether this woman would have hit another adult - plenty of whom I have seen riding on pavements for probably the same reasons ?
By the way - I think the Ouse clear up is great - sorry I cant help that weekend, but wish you all every success.
On 1 Oct 2009 at 7:08pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
If your son didn't feel safe cycling on the road at that time of day, he shouldn't have gone out on his bike.
Pavements are for pedestrians.
On 2 Oct 2009 at 9:35am Down and Out wrote:
ACT - don't be such a bloody fascist. Kids should be encouraged to ride bikes as often as they can and wherever they reasonably can. Every child who looks on a bike as a primary form of transport is someone who might not become a road-choking car-driving heart-attack lardass in later life. Look at the stats for Holland and Denmark, where kids are positively encouraged to cycle to school, and look at the impact it has on traffic in their cities.
On 2 Oct 2009 at 1:17pm MC wrote:
Sussex River Ouse, Lewes
The Clean the River day now has a web page (article)? If anyone wants to publicise the URL or pass it on it's this: www.lewes.co.uk/Clean-Sussex-Ouse
On 2 Oct 2009 at 1:23pm Dumblefloor wrote:
I only know the river at Lewes at Cliffe Bridge and I've never seen the river bed..... how deep is the river likely to be on Saturday in the section where the clean-up is planned?
On 2 Oct 2009 at 6:57pm mick Deacon wrote:
hi dumblefloor
the depth of the river in the section in question below cliffe bridge, - at low tide, is from ankle-deep to chest-deep. So whether you have got wellies or chest waders you'll be welcome to come and assist. We will be needing some strong backs on the bank too to help pull Ropes. hope you can make it. PS Harveys have donated a barrel to show their support, (for afters).
On 2 Oct 2009 at 7:20pm FA wrote:
I'm hoping to be there Mick with waders and rake/rope. Trouble is, the garden i'm a manager for is setting up a volunteer group on the same day so i'm torn between the two. Much prefer to be in the ouse though !!!....hope to be there.
On 3 Oct 2009 at 6:32pm MC wrote:
Get down the Ouse FA!
:-)
MC
On 4 Oct 2009 at 4:02pm The Super K wrote:
WALL E
Yes you are !!!!
A total one!
On 4 Oct 2009 at 9:33pm MC wrote:
Pardon?
On 9 Oct 2009 at 10:00pm The Super K wrote:
Yes you are my son. o