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Protests persist over fishing ban that caused national outrage

by Angling Times |

Updated on14th November 2025 at 10.59am

Local residents assembled at a busy public meeting at the Wingerworth Lido on Monday 10 November 2025 to oppose a controversial decision by the Labour controlled North East Derbyshire District Council (NEDDC) to ban angling at the cherished site.

Members of the public, including local anglers and their supporters, gathered at Smithy Pond ahead of a council meeting which took place yesterday, Tuesday 11 November.

Speakers at the event included Big Duffs Fishing, members of the Clay Cross Angling Association, local businessman Dominic Webb, Wingerworth councillor Ross Shipman and the Countryside Alliance’s Charles Jardine and Mo Metcalf-Fisher.

The meeting discussed the way forward for returning angling, with many sharing their own personal stories about angling at the lido.

THERE IS STILL TIME TO HAVE YOUR SAY AND HELP LIFT THE BAN ON THE LIDO. FIND OUT MORE HERE...

Let's do all we can to save the lake! Credit: Big Duffs Fishing

Renowned angler Charles Jardine said the battle to return angling to the Wingerworth Lido was now a national talking point, with supporters of the sport following developments very closely.

The decision to ban fishing has caused huge backlash from the angling community and local residents, who were not consulted about the plans to ban fishing and convert the lake into a ‘biodiversity hub’.

In justifying the decision originally, the council claimed they had a received ‘a number of complaints’ regarding Wingerworth Lido over recent years, some of which were directly related to fishing activities carried out by the angling club.

After querying the ‘complaints’ using the Freedom of Information Act, the council was forced to confirm to the Countryside Alliance that of the three ‘formal complaints’ made over a period spanning two and a half years none resulted in any sanctions or warnings to the club.

After sustained pressure from local anglers and the Countryside Alliance, the council agreed to rethink the decision, announcing a public consultation which seeks public opinion over the future of the lido. The consultation closes on 23 November and can be found online.

On Tuesday 11 November, a day after the public meeting, anglers and their supporters returned once more to the offices of NEDDC to attend an ‘extraordinary meeting’ to debate a motion submitted by Independent councillor Ross Shipman.

Big Duffs Fishing (left) Dominic Webb (centre) and Charles Jardine (right) among the speakers.

The motion, which Labour councillors subsequently voted down, would have allowed angling to return to the Wingerworth Lido in the interim period while the council carries out its consultation and deliberations. Additionally, it would have ensured the council report back on the consultation within 6 months with a clear and fair plan for the Lido’s future. The timeline for any conclusion currently remains unclear.

During the meeting, the council’s leader, Nigel Barker, repeatedly claimed the council had not “banned” angling. However, when responding to a member of the public calling out from the public gallery asking, “if I go now can I go fish?”, the leader firmly responded “no”.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Shipman said in a statement: “I’ve done everything I can to work constructively and not make this political — by engaging with council officers, and repeatedly attempting to find a way forward with the Labour leadership. Yet despite these efforts, they have flat out refused to engage with me. Instead, choosing to attack me for standing up for residents.

“Let’s be clear — this entire mess sits firmly at the door of Cllr Nigel Barker and his Labour group.

“They have failed in leadership.

“They don’t care about facts, they don’t care about due process, and they certainly don’t care about what the public wants.

“And in doing so, they’ve created a problem they now can’t get themselves out of”.

Mo Metcalf-Fisher, director of external affairs at the Countryside Alliance said: “There is a huge amount of passion from within the angling community over the ongoing saga of the Wingerworth Lido ban. We all know angling enhances biodiversity, and the public can see the chaos caused by the council’s decision and are understandably growing increasingly frustrated with the council’s leadership. We sincerely hope the leader, Nigel Barker, reflects on this, opts to repair the damage and breakdown in trust and urgently resolves to reinstate angling to let the Wingerworth Lido thrive again”.

The Countryside Alliance urges all supporters of angling at the Wingerworth Lido to complete the council’s public consultation. The Alliance has produced a helpful guide for those taking part in the consultation.

A lake that means so much to so many anglers

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