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Treeton Dyke - Swimming

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It was originally the course of the Rother. Then it was canalised to the west of the railway line, and the water was used for the colliery like you say.

 

I've got some 1950's OS maps which show it as the river:

 

http://nwex.co.uk/temp/dyke.png

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The OH goes swimming there occasionally. There`s an Open Water swimming group that use it quite often and they usually incur the wrath of someone or other, either residents (about parking) or people ******* about with boats pretending they`re in the Florida Keys.

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Sorry but you're wrong. The council has recently warned a group of wild swimmers that they're trespassing on council property and could be arrested under the "crime" of "theft of amenity" if they continue to swim in the dyke.

 

The ski club and angling club both pay Rotherham Council to use the dyke.

 

I know this because I've been helping said swimming group with their legal case.

 

The swimmers aren't even in the water at the routes the boats use.

 

You've just risen a couple of places on my personal respect-o-meter, nice one.

Edited by Halibut

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Dove Dippers are the group and the speed boats have been known to try to intimidate them by getting too close and shouting at them. :rant:

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i used to go swimming there in the summers in the early 80s, was always supposed to be a dangerous place tho, with submerged dangers, leeches, pollution etc, watching dead sticklebacks floating past you was always a bit iffy lol

 

I'd forgotton about the leeches!!! Gross

As I remember there was a metal pylon at the end nearest the railway line, and two dead trees. The mud on the lake bed was really soft on your feet too!!!

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The ski club and angling club both pay Rotherham Council to use the dyke.

I know this because I've been helping said swimming group with their legal case.

The swimmers aren't even in the water at the routes the boats use.

If you are helping the swimmers I suggest you double-check your "facts". There are no restrictions as to where the boats can go other than common sense ones (depth, obstructions, etc). The angling club does not pay Rotherham council - it pays the boating club for the fishing rights.

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The Dyke is jointly owned by RMBC and South Yorkshire Boat and Ski Club (SYBSC).

 

The land around the dyke is owned by SYBSC and rights are leased to the anglers.

 

The wood is owned by RMBC.

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:loopy:

If you are helping the swimmers I suggest you double-check your "facts". There are no restrictions as to where the boats can go other than common sense ones (depth, obstructions, etc). The angling club does not pay Rotherham council - it pays the boating club for the fishing rights.

 

:loopy :Make your mind up you say the angling club pays R C. to use the dyke and you then say they dont, they pay the boating club. The only money the fishing club pays R. C. is a token sum to use an access road near the railway bridge. The angling club have to ask permission from boating club before they can do any work on the dyke tree pruning e.t.c. Whether the boating club have to pay rates on the dyke for maintenance on there access road i dont know. Regarding swimmers i fish the dyke 3 times a week in the summer and never see any except kids at holiday time. Swimmers should beware if speed boats are on but as i never see any whats the problem . Regarding rights i would think the boating club says who does what and if any one gets seriously hurt when swiming its there own fault :loopy: STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES :loopy:

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Perhaps those of you saying the lake is owned (either fully or partly) by the ski club need to verify this.

 

Because there was a meeting last week between some wild swimmers and Kevin Burke, RMBC's representative. Nothing to do with the ski club or angling club, although he did say that they were paying users of the dyke. He made it clear that the Dyke was RMBC property.

 

He brought about the meeting, and the legal threat to the swimmers "trespass", "public order offences" and "theft of an amenity" because of the following concerns:

 

1. Safety, and the council's liability.

2. Water quality and the cost of checking it.

3. Precedence if they allowed one group to swim in terms of how could they then stop others.

 

This has only come about because a more organised group has started to swim there. Blind eyes have been turned in the past for one-off swims by individuals or groups of kids in the summer.

 

The sad thing is that there's enough lake for everyone. The group are even willing to make payment to use it and provide information and safety advice for anyone considering swimming there, which is much better than the usual "DON'T SWIM IN LAKES OR RESERVOIRS" that the council and fire brigade put out year after year, which are ignored.

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RMBC - Forgemasters Tip Management Plan says:

 

"Treeton Dyke which lies immediately adjacent to the eastern boundary of the management plan study area is a well-used recreational area. The Dyke is jointly owned by RMBC and South Yorkshire Boat and Ski Club (SYBSC) and is regularly used for water skiing. The western shore of the Dyke is let by SYBSC on an annual basis to Treeton Angling Club. The area between the angler’s access track and the Dyke therefore forms a zone of relatively intensive recreational use but where ecological improvements may be possible. The remainder of the management plan area forms a zone of low intensity recreational use where nature conservation management has a higher priority."

 

http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/download/4381/forgemasters_tip_draft_plan_january_2011

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RMBC - Forgemasters Tip Management Plan says:

 

"Treeton Dyke which lies immediately adjacent to the eastern boundary of the management plan study area is a well-used recreational area. The Dyke is jointly owned by RMBC and South Yorkshire Boat and Ski Club (SYBSC) and is regularly used for water skiing. The western shore of the Dyke is let by SYBSC on an annual basis to Treeton Angling Club. The area between the angler’s access track and the Dyke therefore forms a zone of relatively intensive recreational use but where ecological improvements may be possible. The remainder of the management plan area forms a zone of low intensity recreational use where nature conservation management has a higher priority."

 

http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/download/4381/forgemasters_tip_draft_plan_january_2011

 

Thank you very much for this.

 

RMBC made clear that the Dyke is theirs, but this states otherwise. That means they falsely represented themselves at the meeting and gives the swimmers some ammunition in their fight.

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As I understand it Treeton Dyke is owned by RMBC. It is leased from them by the boating club, who then rent the fishing and appropriate access rights to Treeton Dyke Angling Club. The footpaths around the Dyke are public footpaths and open to all.

 

Having thought about this, I think the swimmers are clearly in the wrong. They are using private property without permission. Apart from health and safety issues it is obviously unfair that anglers and boaters should have to pay whilst swimmers illegally use the amenity for free. Where would they stand if one was hit by a boat or water skier, or hit in the eye with a fishing leger weight. Surely the boater, skier or fisherman would be in the right (so long as they did not do it on purpose) as they have paid and have permission to pursue their hobby on the site. Why should they have to worry about the possibility of harming illegal users?

 

As an aside, Treeton Dyke Angling Club has just spent over £7000 stocking fish. Hopefully these fish will reproduce and so further enhance the fishing and natural environment. It can't be right that unauthorised swimmers are allowed to endanger this. Most fish spawn in the margins, which is presumably where the swimmers swim, and certainly where they enter the water.

Edited by rodnreeluk

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