The roar of water passing over the weir at the site of Marlborough’s Town Mill came to a halt for possibly the first time in its ancient history this week – to give trout a chance to swim upstream.
A unique fish pass is being constructed on the Kennet and to create it two air-filled barrages were thrown across the chalk stream, the dam exposing the river bed and giving volunteers a rare chance to clean it up.
The exercise is all part of a £35,000 project being carried out by Action River Kennet (ARK) following the worst drought for decades, which wiped out the fish stock in the upper reaches of the river, now ironically flourishing in the latest deluge causing floods across the country.
The aim, in fact, is to change the “waterfall” by the foot bridge between Kennet Place and Town Mill into a series of smaller steps, enabling fish to swim upstream. This will affect the river from the bridge outside the Mustard Seed Café, on the edge of the Waitrose car park, down to Munchies Café.
But the month-long project, paid for by a grant from the Rivers Trust, also produced an unfortunate splash of anger and upset, first from a uninformed passers-by who abused the workmen on the site, then by a visit from Tory town councillors Stewart Dobson and Marian Hanniford-Dobson.
They are said to have claimed the work was being carried out without planning permission and ought to stop, unaware that Wiltshire planning officer Peter Horton had informed ARK that no planning permission was required.
“It’s disappointing that a couple of ill informed members of the town council chose to disrupt the work on site yesterday (Tuesday),” ARK director Charlotte Hitchmough told Marlborough News Online.
“Their input has been entirely unhelpful and has caused an unnecessary delay to the project.” She pointed out that it was members of the public who had abused those on site adding: “Much of the work is being done by volunteers whose only aspiration is to improve the environment and it seems sad that people who are trying to make a positive difference are treated in this way.”
“The mill itself was demolished in 1950. ARK fully recognise the historic importance of the site, but not building this fish pass won’t bring the mill back again.”
Councillor Dobson responded: “Sadly you have been misinformed. Marian and myself were contacted by members of the public who wanted to know what building work was taking place at the entrance to Town Mill.”
“Following a telephone call to Mrs Sue Fry in the town council offices, she was unable to help but wondered if it was work commencing on the flood wall.
“We therefore decided to visit the site where a very helpful gentleman was able to explain that he was preparing the site for the installation of a fish ladder.”
Charlotte Hitchmough subsequently told Marlborough News Online: “The contractors and ARK’s Don Harris told me they had been told by two men, who introduced themselves as councillors, that they were working without the right planning consent and as a result stopped all work.”
The pollarding of a willow above the mill race and the erection of screens had caused passers-by to abuse the ARK workers, as was discovered by town councillor Val Compton, who lives on the Kennet Place site, where an Environment Agency flood protection scheme has been given the go-ahead.
“I have absolutely no time for the loud mouthed few who turn up when work has begun on a project to harangue the workforce and be generally abusive,” she protested.
“I find that totally despicable behaviour and have been on the receiving end of it on more than one occasion. If you care, get involved – if you don’t, then just shut up.”
Once the Town Mill affair had subsided – the Kennet has had a score of mills along its banks in past centuries – Charlotte explained: “The fish pass is an exciting chance to improve the wild fish populations in the Kennet.”
“The weir, which is the only remnant of the site of the old Mill Wheel, is too steep and has too much drop for fish to swim up, which means that the fish at the top of the river are isolated from those downstream.”
“After the catastrophic drought last year, thousands of fish were left dead, and without the fish pass there is no real hope of breathing life back into the upper reaches of the river again. Creating this passage for fish will help the river to recover naturally.”
She added: “The Mill used to serve a central function in the town and is an example of how important rivers are for both people and wildlife. ARK are looking forward to working with the town council to bring back some of the mill workings to the site, where they can be displayed to mark the significance of the site in Marlborough’s history.
“The project costs are being funded by the Rivers Trust through the River Improvement Fund. It is one of hundreds of projects across the country to help to bring rivers to ‘good ecological status’”.
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