River Lugg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids River Lugg |
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The Lugg at Hampton Bishop
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| Native name | Afon Llugwy |
| Country | Wales, England |
| Counties | Radnorshire, Herefordshire |
| Settlements | Llangynllo, Presteigne, Leominster, Hope under Dinmore, Bodenham, Marden, Lugwardine |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Llangynllo Radnor Forest, Radnorshire, Wales 497 m (1,631 ft) 52°21′29″N 3°12′20″W / 52.35806°N 3.20556°W |
| River mouth | confluence with River Wye Mordiford, Herefordshire, England 46 m (151 ft) 52°01′52″N 2°38′10″W / 52.03111°N 2.63611°W |
| Length | 72 km (45 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries |
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The River Lugg (Welsh: Afon Llugwy) rises near Llangynllo in Radnorshire, Wales. It flows through the border town of Presteigne and then through Herefordshire, England, to the south of Leominster, where it meets a tributary, the River Arrow. Its confluence with the River Wye is at Mordiford, 9 miles (14 km) downstream of Hereford and 45 miles (72 km) from its source. Its name comes from a Welsh root, and means "bright stream".
The Environment Agency is the navigation authority for the river. Below Leominster the river was made navigable under the River Wye & Lugg Navigation Act 1696 for improving the River Wye and had pound locks. Despite several attempts to improve it, including making flash locks against bridges, the river was probably never a satisfactory waterway, and commercial navigation probably ceased in the early 19th century. It is still sometimes used by small boats but can be very dangerous when in flood. In February 2020, it was one of several rivers with severe flood warnings following the impact of Storm Dennis.
Recreation
The river is popular with canoeists who have undisputed rights of navigation. However travelling from Leominster to Hereford is challenged by numerous fallen trees obstructing the river. It is a good fishing river.
Environment
In November/December 2020, damage was done to a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) stretch of the riverbank near Kingsland in Herefordshire. The damaged area, which was part of the SSSI, was home to protected wildlife including crayfish, otters, salmon, and lampreys. It was discovered that trees had been felled, river-bed gravel removed, the meanders straightened, and all vegetation in the area had been dug up by bulldozer, without permission, leaving the riverbank devastated.
A lawyer for Salmon and Trout Conservation, who is also a local resident, said:
This is one of the most egregious acts of ecological vandalism that I have seen in 25 years of working on rivers in the UK
The Environment Agency, Natural England and the Forestry Commission interrupted the work, preventing further damage. Herefordshire Wildlife Trust said the changes would have "huge repercussions for wildlife downstream" and urged that the landowner responsible be prosecuted.
