Farmer who damaged River Lugg has sentence cut after appeal

A farmer who committed "grand scale vandalism" on the River Lugg in Herefordshire has had his prison sentence reduced to 10 months.

John Price, from Kingsland, was jailed for a year after admitting seven charges of damaging parts of the river.

He illegally ripped up trees from the banks and failed to stop pollution getting into the water.

A judge at Worcester Crown Court said he accepted the impact of prison conditions on the 68-year-old.

Judge Nicholas Cole said Price "did not pose a risk to the public but you clearly pose a risk to the environment".

He added Price had turned a "beautiful stretch of river into a canal devoid of wildlife. This was vandalism of the environment on a grand scale."

Price from Day House Farm, hired diggers and bulldozers to illegally remove the trees.

The court had heard he believed he was trying to help the village deal with storm damage. He also used the gravel to make a horse exercise area for his partner and a road.

Mr Cole said there was a need for deterrent and the message needed to go out "loud and clear" that laws were there to protect the environment for everybody.

Despite numerous character references from residents supporting Mr Price and his successful farming business, Mr Cole said Price had previous convictions relating to "river activities".

Price had "disregarded the law" with his "outrageous behaviour committed over a period of time in a planned manner", he added.

"It was persistent despite warnings and the stop notice.

"You turned a beautiful stretch of river into a canal devoid of wildlife. This was vandalism of the environment on a grand scale."

The impact of his actions would be felt on the river and its surroundings for as long as 10 years, he said.

Reducing the sentence by two months was down to "….the impact on current prison conditions and your own conditions", Mr Cole said.

His sentence would start immediately and he will serve half in prison before being released on licence with time already spent in jail taken into account.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]