LOCAL MP David Mundell has voiced his concern that an English-based environment agency is looking to further extend its powers on the River Esk and its catchment in Dumfriesshire.

Under a unique reciprocal agreement, the cross-border river is managed by the UK’s Environment Agency and it sets the bylaws governing fishing on the river in both England and Scotland.

The Agency now wishes to change the by-laws concerning the River Esk catchment area and proposes to remove the need to seek agreement from Scottish Ministers when introducing new ones.

In recent years local anglers also fought the controversial introduction of rod licences on the Esk in Scotland as it makes it the only river in Scotland to have such a requirement.

Now the Environment Agency wants to be able to prosecute anyone who has committed offences on the river to appear in a court on either side of the Border. This could mean anyone fishing without a licence on the Esk in Dumfriesshire could appear in court in England.

Mr Mundell, who has also battled against the introduction of rod licences and raised the issue in parliament, said: “I don’t support these new proposals either. Yet further changes are not acceptable and the Environment Agency has to realise that they are operating in Scotland, and respect that.

“Nothing they have done in the recent past has led to protecting the fishing stock from poachers. Scottish and English criminal law are fundamentally different and this is something not to be done lightly unless they can demonstrate an overwhelming need. There is doesn’t appear to be any evidence that there are so many offences and that they are so serious that a major change needs to be made in the legal process. It is just a case of wasting more money on yet more red tape.’’

ENDS