News Post Leader - Letters Page

[5150]

For those who get the News Post Leader (think it's just north of the Tyne?), check the letter in the upper left of Page 7 - some guy responding to a letter in the other week (I hadn't see it) from an angler complaigning about dog walkers.

Guy has sent in a photo of a breakaway with trace and hook found ("dropped" as he claims, but it's clearly a crack-off) on Druridge Bay Beach and is laying into sea anglers as a whole as being a menace who litter all the beaches and should be banned from them,.

Comes over as if every piece of litter on a beach is from us.

I walk my 2 dogs at Druridge each weekend early in the morning and as both an angler and dog owner I think he's well out of order. Where the long car-park road on the national trust land is we used to park up at the end and it's constantly got dog poop bags hanging off the barbed wire fence or thrown on the floor. I see the odd box off bait and I've only ever found cracked off fishing gear on rare occassions up there.

Worst problem is the "travellers" turning up and the summer idiots leaving disposable BBQ's, nappy's and beer cans/lambrini bottles.

[Red5]

For those who get the News Post Leader (think it's just north of the Tyne?), check the letter in the upper left of Page 7 - some guy responding to a letter in the other week (I hadn't see it) from an angler complaigning about dog walkers.

Guy has sent in a photo of a breakaway with trace and hook found ("dropped" as he claims, but it's clearly a crack-off) on Druridge Bay Beach and is laying into sea anglers as a whole as being a menace who litter all the beaches and should be banned from them,.

Comes over as if every piece of litter on a beach is from us.

I walk my 2 dogs at Druridge each weekend early in the morning and as both an angler and dog owner I think he's well out of order. Where the long car-park road on the national trust land is we used to park up at the end and it's constantly got dog poop bags hanging off the barbed wire fence or thrown on the floor. I see the odd box off bait and I've only ever found cracked off fishing gear on rare occassions up there.

Worst problem is the "travellers" turning up and the summer idiots leaving disposable BBQ's, nappy's and beer cans/lambrini bottles.

A similar letter was in the Northumberland Gazette the other week, bout a dog swallowing a trace with the hook on at Alnmouth. vets bills and everything were brought up..

[5150]

A similar letter was in the Northumberland Gazette the other week, bout a dog swallowing a trace with the hook on at Alnmouth. vets bills and everything were brought up..

Can understand their anger at that mate, I'd go off it over anything that hurt my dogs. Think the thing is the letter is blaming us lot for every bit of litter and labelling all of us for leaving "dangerous" items (ie hooks/sinkers) when clearly lost kit isn't deliberate where as rubbish is. Annoys me when you see some of the other rubbish left on the beaches by non-anglers that we're getting the finger. Re-read the letter and it's even on about plastic can holders off beer cans on DB, can't see many anglers who go there taking beer with them, it's well out of the way unlike the local piers/harbours attracting the chav's in the summer.
My sis and brother-in-law help run a charity to support a well known north-east woodland and they've said about dog poop bags hanging from the tree's like xmas baubles all year around even when there's plenty of bins

[peter.m]

Because it spoils their walk on the beach anglers are targetted. How many letters do you see about cigarettes dropped on the pavement or thrown out of car windows (one of my pet hates), happened tonight.

Or live anywhere near McD's or KFC and see all the packets on the road the next morning (like this morning).

I agree that we should be careful because we are identifyable by the rubbish as anglers but ffs there is littering going on all day, in every town but it is accepted, cigarettes etc thrown on the ground are still litter

[Charlton]

interesting point for you, anglers have a proven right to fish from the shore, whereas the general public do not have a right, the council could stop them any time they wished

[Lowrider]

Its always the same.
Some dog owners seems to feel that pointing the finger at anyone else wrongs excuses their own.
I read the letter and intend to reply,everyone else should do the same.
Not forgetting that both groups have those people that cause problems but each must get their house in order.
Also we will all have had times when we have lost gear when fishing high tide,where and when that gear will reappear is anyones guess.
Lastly i would challenge any dog wlaker who is moaning to meet me and take a walk along Blyth beach for example,lets compares how many bags of crap or piles of crap i can count to the amount of fishing gear they find.
Bet the dog crap wins

[Red5]

Could also mention the fact that the amount of dog/horse turd left on Alnmouth is a disgrace, especially with the amount of kids who use the beach during the summer!

As you said 5150, hooks etc, aren't deliberately left as rubbish. Chances are if you let your dog off the leash ANYWHERE, it runs the risk of swallowing something it probably shouldn't. I know when I pick up our dogs mess in the garden, there are often objects in there that shouldn't be, but it's in a dogs nature to eat virtually anything.

Even so, litter picks by angling clubs, could go a long way to showing us in a good light as was proved with the NESA litter picks.

[smokie]

Speaking as a dog owner and novice angler I cannot understand why some dog owners walk their dogs pick up the crap then throw it in the sea or burry it in the sand, They may as well leave it for the tide to clean up,
I was fishing Longsands a few weeks ago when I got a good bite, Great my FIRST decent fish, I thought, WRONG, a Tesco bag full of DOG CRAP.
Disappointed was putting it mildly
At the same time I’ve picked up yards of line and end tackle. But the weights come in handy,

[RossW]

Druridge

I love Druridge. This dog owner was unlucky and is lashing out but anglers are not the problem up there. The littering and carnage left by campers in the dunes is infuriating. It's depressing. The dog-poo bags hanging off the barbed wire, the beer cans, the food, the plastic bags, BBQs..... Why do people go to beautiful places and ruin them? People are weird. Rant over. Merry Christmas everybody.

[Wayne Eastlake]

Nice one RossW, I totally agree wiv ya , and good point Merry Xmas to all!!!!! have a good one and a Happy New Year! to you all

[5150]

Ross, we feel the same way. We've been taking the kids and dogs there for over 10yrs and it's a mess at times - and little is from the anglers. I contacted Wansbeck council in the summer about a mess of a fire, bbq, bottles and rubbish at one spot and it's still there now. I'm up there tomorrow morning with the dogs and intend to take the camera to get some shots in order to put things in perspective. I've honestly seen little from "our lot" other than the odd muppet washed up from someone snagging up off a boat. Loads of dog mess and human disregard though. Letter was very unfair against anglers, even the minority that we know make us look bad.

[peter.m]

After reading this I fished the Wear last night on the Business Park off the A1231. All along the banks are discarded plastic cups, loads of them. Obviously the works vending machine cups where workers go out for a coffee and smoke or lunch no doubt. Or are anglers being catered for now. it's everywhere in any walk of life.

[willywetegg]

Your not wrong Peter, it really is everywhere you look now. Not really a lot that can be done about it as things like that should be brought in from an early age. If they are not told that it is wrong when they are small then as far as they are concerned it isn't wrong. One or two on here have said they don't care about the rubbish, one or two even said that there was no need for bins that the council should send people out to clean up after the fishermen have left their rubbish about.

It says it all really

Jim.

[Stores]

Your not wrong Peter, it really is everywhere you look now. Not really a lot that can be done about it as things like that should be brought in from an early age. If they are not told that it is wrong when they are small then as far as they are concerned it isn't wrong. One or two on here have said they don't care about the rubbish, one or two even said that there was no need for bins that the council should send people out to clean up after the fishermen have left their rubbish about.

It says it all really

Jim.

Jim, the school employs 3 ladies @ 2 hours a day, simply picking up litter our kids have dropped. We've spent thousands on bins and they do get used but litter dropping is not seen as being "an offence" to today's youth. First line of defence whenever I tell someone to pick something up is "it's not mine" or "I didn't drop it" - even if I've seen them do it. Lying is seen as the norm by teenagers, the logic being (and this is from the horse's mouth) that if you lie and get away with it all well and good. If you lie and don't get away with it then there's nothing we can do to make the punishment worse. What sort of society we are creating for the future beggars belief.

[willywetegg]

Ah so it is partly your fault that they lie then David. You should make the punishment worse when they get caught

I honestly don't know if there is anything that we can do about this big problem in our sport. The don't care culture has to be changed. "It's only a few papers". The problem is, it is not just a few papers, the scum leave hooks too. I bet most people on this forum have found old rusty hooks at a popular venue, I have lost count the times I have found them. It goes the same for the dog owners that let their dogs foul everywhere, they should have their animal confiscated whenever they get caught.

A few will remember that I complained to Blyth Council a few years ago because of the state of Blyth beach, I was told that the dog warden was ill and they would get it sorted when he returned to work Yeah right I thought. A few weeks later he was seen to be doing his job again so they did listen and my belief was restored a bit. It is disgusting, I took my Grandaughter to collect some shells. The high water mark was so fouled with dog litter that I had to carry her. It was too late though it ended up all over the back of my car smashing.

Jim.