Kings School Worcester vandalising River Severn Ecology

King's School Worcester rowing coaches continue to destroy the River Severns banks by using unsuitable boats for coaching. These "funboats" are designed for sailing, and when fitted with an engine cause a large breaking wash. The wash erodes the toe of the banks and helps cause large bank collapses, which are becoming increasingly obvious and frequent.
Kings School despite having been told about the consequences of their activity, choose to continue to destroy the riverbanks, owned incidentally by other people, including the Worcester City Council and Worcester County Council.
Whilst the first video caused them to slow down for a while, when they think that they are not being filmed they carry on as normal destroying the banks.
Actions that can be described as overwhelming selfish and arrogant, with complete disregard for the environment, other river users, riparian owners and their own long term use of the river.
As Kings will not stop for the good of the environment,and will not stop so as not to be antisocial, we will continue to witness Kings bank destruction and selfish behaviour...
Look out for them on the river with navy and light blue colours on the blades on their oars, and often on clothing.
They are often accompanied by coaches on the unsuitable yellow catamaran "funboats". They operate from their Boat club down by the Diglis Hotel, down river from the Worcester Cathedral.
Whilst the coaches must take responsibility for their own actions as the ones directly causing the environmental damage, then the fact that this activity is allowed to continue, appears to show something seriously wrong with the top management of Kings School. How can they allow such unsustainable, selfish and illegal behaviour to take place?
When informed of this behaviour their reaction has been to make sordid accusations against the messenger, rather than address the message of their own schools deficiencies.
In 2008, 2 years after the Stern Report and widespread knowledge of the effects of climate change, where is Kings public Environmental Statement? Do they have an Environmental Management System? Do Kings management even understand Sustainability?.
Kings School please stop selfishly destroying the riverbanks and biodiversity, as well as externalising the economic cost of your activity onto other people.
We will witness and expose you.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• wash
• rowing
• kings
• King's
• school
• Worcester
• river
• Severn
• bank
• erosion
• environment
• riverbank
• club
• may
• breaking
• boat
• funboat
• wildlife
• damage
• water
• margin
• plants
• vandalism
• galen
• bartholomew
• tim
• keyes
• collapse
• floods
• wreckless
• arrogant
• idiot
• stubborn
• fool
• vandal
• anti
• sustainability
• city
• council
• cathedral
• riparian
• mfg
• solicitors
• mass
• slippage
• yt:stretch=16:9

[helly7766]

One small issue- the RGS row on this part the river too!

[tom202]

@helly7766 Exactly, and much bigger boats than rowing boats use the River and create much bigger washes!! This argument is unfounded, quite funny, and ulitmately a waste of time. Flooding (which seems to happen at least once a year in Worcester - due to the lack of dredging that the City Council allows) causes the damage. Rowing boats create very little, and insignificant damage when compared to flood damage to riverbanks. Pathetic waste of time - someone's got a real grudge against King's!!

[sabrinaworcester1]

@tom202 Pity you have not taken time to read the other comments and replies. If the floods were the sole cause of erosion, then by what mechanism is the collapse of the banks? The city council is not in charge of dredging. Your rudeness, arrogance and ignorance are misplaced.

[sabrinaworcester1]

@helly7766 yes helly you are right, but they very very rarely have coaching launches with them and even them they predominantly drive them with care not causing a breaking wash and bank erosion

[SuperEmilyxxxx]

@ worcester we use smaller boats 4 teaching so less wash is created ! rgs and kings use bigger engins they think that they should get the best every time !

[sabrinaworcester1]

@SEBB3RS However you never answer the point. Why cant they use low wash boats and drive them properly over the deep part of the river? Easy. As regards it being a worldwide hobby, i can only speak from experience on the River Severn at Worcester. There is damage being caused over 8 miles of riverbank that neednt be with a little consideration from Kings School

[sabrinaworcester1]

@SEBB3RS

Take your point re stats but they are really hard to obtain by the nature of the process, without expensive equipment and then i could be accused of making them up. Similarly undermining banks are not very conducive to photos or video. However i have got an MSc in Environmental Impact Assessment, I obviously am prepared to back up claims that are published here in court, and you can come and see the evidence yourself on the river if you come here. I will be publishing more sometime.

[sabrinaworcester1]

@SEBB3RS You are right that it is low energy in summer and that the sediment is redeposited. BUT this makes river shallower and hence worse effects of wash. The soil needs to be kept held by tree roots and water margin plants and then bank reduces to sustainable angle of repose around 40 degrees. Now the banks are vertical leading to collapse as washes erode water margin plants and the bank to vertical.

[sabrinaworcester1]

@SEBB3RS Ok re speed, I was told by rower that 16 knots so was guessing on change to mph, but he was a good rower! They can easily afford low wash boats, they choose not to. They know they are causing damage to the riverbanks by causing breaking washes. They should get low wash boats and drive them properly. End of story. My concern is the river and stretches of bank 7 yards in, 30 yards wide and 5 yards high collapsing into the river

[sabrinaworcester1]

@AJC79

thanks I meant the EA approval bit that i wanted to check. I checked the site a few years ago and then with the person that actually makes the sailing boat, and they said they had nothing to do with putting engines on etc. Even in rowing discussion groups people complain about these cats, and funboats are noticeably worse than even the longer cats which are not brilliant.