Flood Safety Warning

Compared to some parts of the country we have so far fared well with regard to the amount of rainfall we have had but we shouldn’t be complacent. Although there have been no official flood warnings on our rivers, on occasions they have been well above their normal summer levels and we advise all our members to take extra care when visiting them. The water levels can rise very quickly even though there has been no significant rain in the local area.

Our Club Admin Officer Geoff Sumner sent in the photos below which he took on Saturday whilst fishing the Rother at Coultershaw. Geoff was surprised at the speed the river rose even though there had been no recent rainfall in the area, in fact he admits had he stayed in the position he was fishing he would have been left standing on an island in the middle of a swollen river. Geoff urges everyone to be very careful during the present conditions because as he says ‘no fish is worth compromising your safety for, it will still be there when the floods have subsided.’

The pictures above depict the Rother at Coultershaw on Saturday. The one on the left shows the Rother about to burst it’s banks and the one on the right was taken a good 80 yards from the river and shows water pouring into the field behind where an angler would normally be fishing, which illustrates why you need to be alert to the dangers whilst fishing in the present conditions.