CANOEISTS are stirring up the waters over the “right to float” on rivers in England and Wales. Campaigners backed by 1.5 million canoeists are lobbying hard to gain the same access to rivers that ramblers won in the “right to roam” struggle over moorland, heath and downs.

Their efforts are being stepped up because the Scottish Executive has already approved the right north of the border. Most countries in the world have an automatic right for canoes, and other unpowered craft, to use rivers.

Canoeists dream of being able to paddle up and down 41,000 miles of river scenery, and the campaigners argue that tourism would be boosted by organising canoe trails like the ones along the Dordogne in France. But canoeists are banned from using the waters unless they have permission from the landowner. In some cases, those who have neglected to seek permission have had warning shots fired at them.

The British Canoe Union is leading the campaign for rights of access. One of the problems is that there is no national register of riverbank owners and it is extremely difficult to find out who holds the interests. There is also opposition from the country’s four million anglers. They are a powerful lobby and the sport brings in £3.5 billion per year to the rural economy.

Now 100 MPs led by John Grogan, the Labour MP for Selby, are backing the right to float in a Commons early day motion. Ministers have resisted a change in the law. Jim Knight, the Rural Affairs Minister, wants the rivers to be opened up by voluntary agreement between canoeists and landowners and has proposed a pilot scheme in which canoe trails along 50 miles of four rivers will open this summer for the first time.

Many angling groups are incensed by this encroachment and are resisting the pilot scheme. Matters are expected to come to a head when the Environment Agency produces guidance on how to achieve river access. The agency hopes that many more stretches of water can be opened up.

If 150 MPs support Mr Grogan’s motion before Parliament the matter is automatically referred to the Cabinet. Extra names are being sought vigorously to reach this threshold.

Martyn Salter, Labour’s spokesman on angling, is opposed to the right to float. Anglers have no such rights and have to negotiate with landowners, and he thinks that canoeists should do the same.

“Canoeing over shallow spawning beds, bird-nesting sights and through sensitive environments can be damaging,” Mr Salter said. “The pressure of canoes can make angling impossible in small streams and on non-navigable rivers.

“Angling is heavily regulated with a statutory closed season on rivers to protect fish spawning and to allow bankside vegetation to flourish in the spring. Canoeing at such times on smaller rivers and streams in particular, would reduce the benefits to the environment of a fishing close season.”

Tamsin Phipps, who is leading the campaign for the canoe union, said: “We want the waters open for everybody just as footpaths should be open to all. This is not just about anglers versus canoeists because we’ve even got some fishermen onside now who realise that we don’t damage rivers.”

Ms Phipps is adamant that voluntary agreement will not work because it is almost impossible to find the landowners alongside rivers. She said that a new national register was necessary. “On one river, the Waveney, there are 120 owners and even the Land Registry doesn’t know who they are.”

She added: “What we can’t understand is why access to rivers works in every other country except here. There are also just too many statutes governing water here.

“We negotiated rights with British Waterways but they have to deal with 300 statutes, some of which date to 1424. It really is just time that life moved on.”

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