16/02/2005 - The Environment
Agency today (Wednesday 16 February) prosecuted
a man from Horsham, West Sussex for speeding
on the River Arun last summer.
Harry Sherrard pleaded guilty by post to
the offence and in his absence was fined
£1000 and ordered to pay £95
in costs by Chichester Magistrates Court.
Under the Land Drainage and Sea Defence
bylaws, enforced by the Environment Agency,
it is an offence to exceed speed restrictions
in place on the River Arun. Speed limits
are clearly sign posted on the river and
vary between five and a half knots and six
and a half knots. The Environment Agency
is concerned that speeding vessels can cause
significant erosion damage to tidal defences
which protect the lower Arun valley from
flooding so during the summer it carries
out patrols on the river using radar guns.
The court heard how, on Saturday 3 July
2004, a Flood Defence Enforcement Officer
was carrying out speed checks on the river
with an electronic radar. The officer caught
Harry Sherrard travelling in a vessel at
a recorded speed of 28 knots (32.3 miles
per hour) in a 6.5 knots (7.2mph) zone.
Harry Sherrard apologised to the officer
but claimed he was experiencing engine difficulties
and his own system did not indicate that
he was travelling at that speed.
In mitigation the court heard that Harry
Sherrard frequently uses the River Arun,
has no previous convictions and is well
aware of the issue of riverbank.erosion.
However, he claimed that the 3 July 2004
was the first day the boat had been back
in the water after engine failures and he
had wanted to test it.
Andrew Gilham, Sussex Area Flood Defence
Manager for the Environment Agency, said:
"We’re not there to spoil anyone’s
fun but it’s important that people realise
that speeding boats not only put other boat
users, fishermen and wildlife at risk but
the wash created by these vessels can also
damage tidal defences which protect the
lower Arun valley from major flooding. For
this reason we have to take these offences
seriously.
"Speed limits are clearly sign posted
along the river so there is no excuse for
exceeding them - we hope this is a lesson
to others to observe them."
