A LYDNEY man wants 'decaying' Lydney Lake to be restored as a millennium
project – and he would like to see its growing population of Canada
geese controlled if not banished.
"The lake is decaying. It's a terrible welcome for visitors who come to
the station on the Norchard steam line to see it in such a state," said
Mike Marks.
"I've honestly seen cleaner farmyards. The geese are making a terrible
mess because they like the sloping banks and can get out of the water
easily. And the far bank is suffering badly from wind erosion – all the
banks need building up to contain the geese. They've eaten all the grass
off one bank.
"These are big birds too, intimidating to little children. They should
have an area of their own and just get fed on the water, not out on the
paths.
"I feel that since the lake was given to the town on trust as an amenity
for all to enjoy we should make the most of it. Now it is in a sorry
state.
"Nobody has taken a real look at it since there were plans a while back
to buy some of the Blackpool illuminations and put them on the island.
It has mainly fallen to the angling club to maintain the lake and look
after it and the birds."
There have been continual problems with vandalism around the lake and
before Christmas some of the lake birds had been shot with a crossbow.
Better care needed to be taken of it and it would be an ideal subject
for millennium funding, he said.
"I know there have been calls from Jean Ramsden on behalf of the
council, for ideas for the millennium. This is an ideal opportunity to
make the place welcoming for the town, for visitors, for everyone to
enjoy."
Mr Derek Biddle of Lydney Recreation Trust, which looks after the lake,
agreed it would be a good idea to put it forward as a project worth
funding.
"It does look a bit tired in places," he said. "The problem always is
funding. It's expensive to look after."
He also agreed the geese were a problem. "Various ways have been put
forward for reducing them in the past but with little success. The
trouble is the public feed them. We feed them come to that, like all the
birds."
The land for the lake had been bought by John Watts back in 1947 and
donated to the trust for the town's benefit, he said.
Nobody from Lydney Town Council was available to comment on the
millennium project proposals this week – town clerk Jean Ramsden was
away on holiday.