Marsh dog walkers angry after being 'demonised'

'Feelings running very high' after criticism from Town and Manor over wildlife

WATER abstraction and cow grazing are the real culprits for the degradation of wildlife on Freeman’s Marsh in Hungerford, it was claimed this week.

A debate was prompted this month by a Trustee of the Town and Manor of Hungerford, Robert James, who said irresponsible owners allowing their dogs to roam free over the Site of Special Scientific Intertest were responsible for a decline in wildlife, particularly ground-nesting birds.

Meanwhile, advisory signs erected by the Town and Manor have been defaced and uprooted.

The bird nesting season runs from March 1 to July 31.

But last week retired Defra researcher Dr Declan Barraclough hit back, saying dog walkers were the unofficial guardians of marsh wildlife.

He cited alleged mismanagement and overgrazing as contributory factors and said dog owners were furious at being “demonised.”

This week Roy Froom, who enjoyed a childhood playing on the marsh, said: “To concentrate on dog walkers is to lose sight of the real issue... the real problem we face is one of water abstraction and general degradation of the environment.”

See Your Views on page 20 of this week’s Newbury Weekly News for Mr Froom’s letter.

Beverley Vine said Mr James was talking “rubbish” and blamed grazing cows.

She added: “The cows tread on nests and knock down reed beds. Dog walkers are, on the whole, really interested in the wildlife and know when the barn owl is expected and where to see the kingfishers and so on.

“Not so, the owners of the cows... there should be a tolerant and informed policy for everyone to enjoy and protect the marshes.”

Mr James said the Town and Manor “has to balance conflicting needs of protecting wildlife, grazing livestock and providing open access to public” and pointed out that the area is subject to Common Grazing Rights confirmed in the 1965 Commons Registration Act. He said a defaced sign had been replaced.

Meanwhile the Town and Manor received some moral support from the licensee of the Swan Inn at Inkpen, Bernard Harris.

Mr Harris also grazes cattle and said: “We used to have a lot of peewits but we have a footpath across the land and people walk dogs. As soon as they reach a field, they let the dogs off the lead.”

He claimed many dog owners “either don’t understand or don’t care” about the damage their pets can do to ground-nesting birds.