As the banks of the River Esk are cleared of overgrown vegetation some, but not all, say ‘thank goodness’
A few weeks ago, the E&L published, in its ‘Ee mei, good question’ column, that a number of people had complained about the state of the banks of the river Esk in the town especially in relation to the overgrown vegetation.
D&G operatives have now tackled this problem and cut down much of the offending willow bushes between the bridges and along by the church.
However, not everyone is happy about this. The nature-lovers have complained that the removal of these bushes amounts to ‘envronmental vandalism’ as the natural habitat of birds and insects is destroyed.
Others say that the bushes are holding the banks together and preventing more erosion, which has been identified as another riparian problem, highlighted during periods of flooding.
The counterargument to this is, in comments from the public:
“It’s a lot tidier and makes the town look much better if we are trying to attract visitors”.
“The birds and the bees have plenty of other places to go, it’s not as if Langholm is short of green space”.
“We have to strike a happy medium between the environment and people’s way of life, there is abundant habitat for wildlife all around us”.
Read more in this week’s E&L available at your Newsagent or available online by subscription. Click HERE
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