The rivers and waterways around Beverley are in a poor state
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The local rivers and waterways around Beverley have been neglected for a number of years now. Alas the situation is worse than most people realise.
We are all aware of the problem of sewage being discharged into local rivers by profit-hungry privatised water companies. These companies have been allowed to pollute with few consequences, especially after Brexit, when some sewage discharge restrictions were lifted.
What is less widely known is that there are also other problems in Beverley's waterways which stem from the austerity years of 2010 - 2024. During this period funding for maintenance of Britain's and indeed Beverley's waterways slowly dried up as we shall see.
As a Beverley Town councillor I occasionally attend meetings of the Beverley Barge Preservation Society (BBPS), which is a partner organisation to the council due to the value it provides to the local community with its river barge trips. These trips are very popular and worthwhile during the summer months. A water journey gives a different perspective on the locality.
Alas it is apparent from discussions with BBPS that the local waterways and their bankside infrastructure are being neglected.
Neglect of bankside infrastructure
Quite a few smallish pleasure craft use Beverley's waterways in addition to the Beverley Barge Preservation Society. Their voyages are being made more and more tricky due to obstructions in the water.
A number of trees have grown out into the river at a number of sites and this is causing navigation problems. Also the lock and bridge keeper has a problem with overhanging trees blocking his view of craft approaching Weel bridge.
Obstructions of all kinds especially cause problems in the summer, when the water levels are lower so it is more difficult to manoeuvre around them.
Some service and mooring bollards on the waterways are not being maintained. On bollards with lights, the lights no longer work on most of them.
I also talked to the owner of a visiting barge who complained that there are no recycling bins at Beverley Beck.
The wooden fences at Beverley Beck were in a sad state but the East Riding ward councillors have managed to get them fixed now.
Neglect of wreck clearance
If you walk along the banks of the local Beverley waterways you will have noticed the number of wrecked boats along the banks. Some of these wrecks pose a danger to local river craft as they are hard to manoeuvre around especially when water levels are low.
The wrecks which are particularly an issue for navigation are all situated between the Beverley Beck Lock and the Weel Bridge. Starting at the nearest to the lock they are the 'Middle Whitton', which sank some time after being set on fire, but because of the size of the vessel its wreck restricts the flow of the river to some extent. There is also a wooden vessel that sank about 4-5 years ago and has been slipping further into the river. Recently it fell over onto its side and the superstructure has now separated from the hull, creating an underwater obstruction. This is made worse by the closeness to the bridge (it is behind the barge Greendale) and the growth out into the river of a tree on the opposite bank.
In the very worst case scenario, one of these wrecks could cause a passing boat to capsize or be holed. The danger is very slight, but it is still there.
The barge preservation society thinks that removal of some of these wrecks may be easier than had been previously thought. What is needed is the lifting equipment and manpower to do it.
There are also a number of smaller sunken boats, but these are a nuisance rather than a danger to navigation.
Absence of any clear responsible body
There was once a Waterways Partnership for the local rivers. A current Liberal Democrat councillor used to be Hull University's representative until around 2019 but then heard no more.
There was external funding for a partnership officer post, but it came to an end. Without the officer support and alternative funds to resource the partnership, it was determined that the functions and interests of the partnership would be folded into existing partnerships, e.g. the Hull and East Yorkshire Local Nature Partnership, and into the ongoing work to develop the Hull and East Yorkshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
Boat users have told me that when they asked why there were/are so many wrecks in the local rivers they learnt that, as no licence is payable to use the River Hull, there is no obligation on any authority to maintain it.
It seems that unfortunately, the locks and responsibility for the various elements associated with them, together with responsibility for rivers, does not fall to any one department or person. Therefore Liberal Democrat councillors have had to consult with various departments of East Riding of Yorkshire Council to answer the queries which have been raised. Here are the questions and the answers as given by East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC):
- Is the ERYC actively enforcing boat safety on the waterways connected to Beverley Beck?
It is understand that this is the responsibility of the lock-keeper as part of the lease agreement for the Lock Keepers Cottage, however, verification is being sought on this. It is known that the lock-keeper has challenged boat owners on matters of safety and public disorder previously, so it is believed there is some monitoring.
- Is the ERYC taking action over the three wrecked boats currently in the rivers, one of which is now a navigation hazard?
ERYC has no planned action to remove further wrecked boats on either Beverley Beck or the River Hull. Any further issues with sunken or wrecked boats on the River Hull should be reported to the Environment Agency.
ERYC completed works to remove 15 vessels from the River Hull in the allowed time periods (to avoid disturbance of protected Lamprey) in 2016 and 2017. The works were funded through a successful bid for Local Growth Fund through the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership. As communicated at the time this was a one off intervention due to the nature of the available external funding and that the issue is primarily an Environment Agency main river matter. The EA acknowledge that this is a long-standing problem but are unable to fund works to remove sunken vessels. Supported by farmers and the local Internal Drainage Board ERYC has spoken to the EA in the past to encourage them to carry out enforcement on wrecked vessels and unconsented moorings.
- Is there a contact name for river safety at the ERYC?
There is no longer any one person and it would depend on the nature of the safety issue, as to which department would respond.
- Who has the responsibility for the service and mooring bollards on the waterways? Some are not being maintained. On bollards with lights, the lights no longer work on all but one of them.
These would be classed as property assets and can be reported to asset.maintenance@eastriding.gov.uk if there are repairs requiring action.
- Can the organisations which use the waterways be authorised to remove plants growing out of the bollards?
ERYC does not see a problem with the organisations removing vegetation from bollards, if the vegetation is self-seeded and does not form part of a display e.g. plants for Beverley in Bloom.
The Environment Agency
I emailed the Environment Agency in 2024, about wrecks in the river and received this reply:
We are working with colleagues and other interested parties to address this and other matters on this stretch of river and I will ensure you are kept informed of developments.
Should you wish to discuss the matter please do not hesitate to contact me.
I have not received any further word of action from the EA.
The Canal and River Trust
It was suggested to me that the Canal and River Trust may have some responsibility for the local waterways. They look after the River Ouse for example. I contacted them via their website and was told that they do not have any responsibility for the River Hull or tributaries.
I have been led to believe that the Canal and River Trust has to be paid to take on responsibility for a river system, and that an arrangement, if one was to be put in place, would have to be negotiated. There might be resistance from some boat owners. The advantage of not having a properly responsible body for our local rivers is there are no license fees payable, unlike waterways where there are formal upkeep arrangements.
Summary
As a consequence of questions officially asked by Councillor Jeremy Wilcox of ERYC, the leader of ERYC has now acknowledged concerns about the state of the local rivers and waterways around Beverley.
Suffice to say it is clear that with massive budget cuts to East Riding Council and the Environment Agency, no one has the resources to properly maintain the local waterways.
This matter will slowly proceed and I will update as new information becomes available. Interested parties are trying to arrange a meeting between relevant official bodies to further discuss the situation and get some action on local waterway maintenance and safety.