Further to the British Canoe Union statement in June highlighting the intended prosecution of Coventry City Council by the Environment Agency, Canoe England can report that this case has been dropped by the Environment Agency.
At this stage it is not clear whether the case will be appealed or redirected as a result of the ruling by Judge Andrew Shaw on 14th November 2011.
Canoe England, along with other agencies still holds the position that responsible Paddlesport activity is environmentally benign. This position is supported by research carried out by the Environment Agency. Canoe England recognise that, at some times of the year, in certain conditions, certain Paddlesport activities may have an impact. These conditions and subsequent activity presents an extremely small potential risk in the scale of Paddlesport and other water related recreation activity in the UK. However, despite the low potential risk presented by so few people, Canoe England takes this issue very seriously.
All home nation governing bodies (Canoe England, Scottish Canoe Association, Canoe Wales and Canoe Association Northern Ireland) work closely with the appropriate agencies and technical experts to provide information for environmental good practice guidance where possible.
A BBC News report of the court hearing and ruling by Judge Andrew Shaw is available at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-15727059