Holy Island villagers rejoice as fishing ban is dropped

Opponents of the marine protection plan warned it would devastate Holy Island's economy

Villagers at Holy Island have rejoiced after a controversial fishing plan was scrapped.

The government had been exploring designating the area off the coast of Northumberland a Highly Protected Marine Area (HPMA), which would have seen fishing halted.

Voicing their relief, campaigners said the news was "still sinking in".

Berwick MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan thanked ministers for "choosing to make the right decision".

Shaun said the past 25 years had been great for the fishing fleet

Shaun Brigham, a fisherman of more than 40 years, said he had been worried for his six employees who are all under 30 with "young families and mortgages".

Without the prospect of a fishing ban, he said things had returned to being "rosy".

"The fishing is fantastic. Me and the other guys look after the island, we have done for 25 years. It's great".

Canon Dr Sarah Hills had campaigned against the ban

The Reverend Canon Dr Sarah Hills, vicar of Holy Island, had previously warned a fishing ban would "rip the heart" out of the community. She said the result had come from a "huge team effort".

"Without the fishing here it would be like Beamish - a museum".

The HPMA would have covered the area from Goswick to Bamburgh, and included habitats on the north shore of Lindisfarne, Budle Bay and the outer group of the Farne Islands, but excluded Inner Farne.

Fishermen warned they were worried about the future and in September local councillors said pressing ahead with the proposal would cause the fishermen to leave which would affect the local school and other services.

Such was the strength of feeling, locals organised a "Save the Holy Island Fishermen" campaign

Announcing the consultation last year, the government said Lindisfarne was being considered "because of its incredible biodiversity".

It has more than 850 species of seabirds and fish, of which 40 have been identified as threatened.

Along with Holy Island, Environment Secretary Therese Coffey told Ms Trevelyan Inner Silver Pit South off the coast of Lincolnshire was also no longer considered suitable for HPMA designation.

She said the government intended to designate the North East of Farne Deep, 35 miles (55km) off the coast of Northumberland, as a site for marine protection as well as Allonby Bay in Cumbria and Dolphin Head off West Sussex.

A Defra spokesman said: "Highly Protected Marine Areas will offer the highest levels of protection in our seas, helping a wide range of marine habitats and species to fully recover.

"The government has announced its intention to designate the first of these areas in English waters this year and we will publish the outcome of our consultation shortly."