Fishermen in Plymouth are losing £2,000 for every day they cannot fish after harbour gates failed again. The broken gates mean that their access in and out of Sutton Harbour has been restricted to just one to two hours per high tide.
Edward Baker, CEO of Plymouth Fishing and Seafood Association, said: “As a really rough estimate, you could say that there’s at least 10 vessels that have lost between one and six days fishing.
“Normally they have the freedom to go fishing, return from fishing and land their catch when they choose. But, right now, they’re limited to a really short window over high tide.
“The lock gates have had problems for years, a breakage occurred last summer and now again this year.”
Labour MP Luke Pollard called on the Environment Agency to fix them urgently and ensure that this won’t happen again.
Taking to Instagram, he wrote: “I’ve written to the Environment Agency to call for urgent action to fix the Sutton Harbour lock gates – which have broken yet again – and support for local fishers against the disruption.
“Ever since I was elected, I’ve campaigned to get these lock gates properly fixed. Time and time again they’ve broken, taking months to fix.
“We need a long-term solution to fix these gates properly, because every time they break it’s the fishing industry who suffer.”
It comes after Sutton Harbour went through a major six-month overhaul in September 2023, where £3 million repairs and maintenance tried to ensure the effectiveness of the tidal barrage.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “Fixing the Sutton Harbour lock gates is a priority, playing a vital role for local fishers and the wider Plymouth area.
“The gates are expected to be operational by the end of this week.”
They said that the gates have received significant Environment Agency funding in the last three years, but the challenging marine conditions mean some parts of the locks will be more prone to wear and tear.
