By Jenni DixonANGLERS have urged the Government to investigate a decision to discharge sewage into an important fishery.A pipe currently discharges sewage during storms from an Anglian Water pumping station at Three Marsh Lane in Reydon into a dammed-off part of Buss Creek, a watercourse that separates the village from Southwold.

By Jenni Dixon

ANGLERS have urged the Government to investigate a decision to discharge sewage into an important fishery.

A pipe currently discharges sewage during storms from an Anglian Water pumping station at Three Marsh Lane in Reydon into a dammed-off part of Buss Creek, a watercourse that separates the village from Southwold.

Anglian Water successfully applied last year to the Environment Agency for sewage to be pumped into the fishery if the pumping station and its back-up equipment broke down.

Now anglers have written to Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett asking her to “call in” the decision for further investigation.

The Southwold and District Freshwater Angling and Preservation Society created the watercourse in the early 1980s.

It raised more than £30,000 to make the creek one of the best fisheries in the region for bream, tench, rudd, roach, perch and eels.

Society president, Graham Denny, said: “Discharging sewage into the middle of an important fishery and a county wildlife park with adjacent footpaths is totally inappropriate in 2004.”

The creek, part of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty within the Suffolk Heritage Coast, also attracts wildlife such as reed warblers, grass snakes, water voles, kingfishers and even otters.

It is frequently used by fishermen, the Suffolk County Junior Squad and wheelchair users who make use of disabled fishing positions near to Mights Bridge.

John Purdy, society chairman, said: “We do not want the pipe in there. If the pumps went down in the middle of the night, it could be several hours before someone could come and sort the problem out.

“It would just mess it up and how would they get their equipment across the marsh? Surely it's better to have it discharged nearer the pumping station.”

But a spokeswoman for Anglian Water said: “Emergency overflow at the pumping station happens less than once a year and has no known environmental impact.

“The station has a standby pump, generator and spare storage space, which would all be used before the pipe. We have looked at alternative places, but none were acceptable to all parties such as landowners.”

John Daniels, regulatory specialist for the Environment Agency, said: “Anglian Water looked into moving the discharge to a less contentious point, but have not been able to get permission off landowners.

“We believe the existing discharge point is acceptable. It may not be acceptable to the fishing club, but it is been there for 10 years with no adverse problems.”

jenni.dixon@eadt.co.uk