Farmer jailed for 'ecological vandalism' of River Lugg in Herefordshire

John Price admitted seven charges and was sentenced to 12 months in jail

A farmer who hired diggers and bulldozers to illegally rip up trees along the banks of a river has been jailed for 12 months.

John Price admitted seven charges of damaging a stretch of the River Lugg in Herefordshire, including failing to stop pollution entering the water.

The judge at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court described it as "ecological vandalism on an industrial scale".

He was also told to pay more than £1.2m in court and restoration costs.

Price had "turned a traditional tree-lined river into a canal" when he removed gravel and silt on the banks of one of the UK's most important salmon rivers, said District Judge Ian Strongman.

The court was shown photographs taken before and after the damage

In the wake of the damage, charges against the farmer were brought by the Environment Agency and Natural England, which said the habitats of otters, Kingfishers and trout were also destroyed.

The damage was described as the "worst case of riverside destruction" seen by the organisations and they added it could take several decades to be fully restored.

The 68-year-old, of Day House Farm, Kingsland, owns land either side of the Lugg with assets valued at between £21m and £25m, the court heard.

The defendant had removed a copse of trees and used gravel from the River Lugg to build a raised hard-standing area of 65.7ft x 98ft (20m x 30m) on the land.

In 2020, he was issued with a stop notice by Natural England. He pleaded guilty to failing to comply with that notice and carrying out similar work the following year.

Prosecutor Bernard Thorogood told the court Price had carried out flood alleviation work on land he was renting in Marden in 2018.

At the time, he was warned not to do it again and ordered to repair the damage.

The court heard the River Lugg was one of the best rivers in the UK for salmon and supports many rare water beetle and crane fly species

Other examples of previous "uncooperative and sometime unlawful" behaviour of Price's were read to the court:

• In 1998 the farmer piled rubble against the riverbank claiming it was some sort of flood barrier

• In August 1999 he removed about 10 tonnes of gravel from the river without consent

• In July 2007 he was prosecuted for creating a dam across a tributary in order to irrigate his potato crop, drying up the river for 1.5km downstream

• In November 2018, Mr Price reprofiled the river at Oxpasture and created flood embankments using material he had scraped from the river

• In July 2020 Mr Price was warned about planting crops right up to the riverbank and failing to observe a buffer zone

Price had objected to the River Lugg and banks next to his farm being made a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) in February 1995, the court was told.

It heard the Lugg was home to six protected and endangered species, including common otter, Atlantic salmon, white clawed crayfish, brook lamprey, shad and bullhead.

It was also described as one of the best rivers in the UK for salmon and supported many rare water beetle and crane fly species.

In total 71 mature trees within the SSSI were completely uprooted and 24 trees felled, with native vegetation and nesting sites destroyed.

Emma Johnson from Natural England said the sentence should act as a stark warning to others

Emma Johnson, area manager for Natural England said the destruction had been "devastating for the abundance and range of species which thrived in the river".

Welcoming the sentencing, she said she hoped it would act as a "stark warning" to others.

Price received a 12-month custodial sentence with a recommendation from the judge that he spend half of that in jail.

The £1.25m costs included £655,000 towards restoring the riverbank.