Riparian Rights and Duties in England and Wales
The Environment Agency lists the riparian rights and duties in England and Wales:
Rights:
- ownership of the land up to the centre of the watercourse - unless it is known to be owned by someone else
- right for water to flow onto your land in its natural quantity and quality
- right to protect property from flooding, and land from erosion (but subject to approval by the Agency)
- right to fish in the watercourse - however this right may be sold or leased, and a fisherman must have a valid Environment Agency rod licence.
- right to acquire accretion
- right to boomage
Duties:
- to pass on the flow of water without obstruction, pollution or diversion affecting the rights of others
- to accept flood flows, even if caused by inadequate capacity downstream, but there is no duty to improve the drainage capacity of a watercourse
- to maintain the bed and banks of the watercourse and to clear any debris, whether natural or man-made
- to keep any culverts, rubbish screens, weirs and mill gates clear of debris
- to be responsible for protection of your land from flooding
- to not cause any obstructions - either temporary or permanent - that would prevent the free passage of fish
Read more about this topic: Riparian Water Rights
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