A NATURE lover dreams of banning anglers and turning part of the Bridgewater Canal into a wildlife reserve.

But Alice Bergin's plan to secure fishing rights and turn a Leigh stretch of the waterway into a wildlife sanctuary looks set to flounder.

Alice, who is passionate about the wildlife living near her bankside home, feels nature's wealth is too valuable to be ruined by an inconsiderate few.

Fishermen

Now she is calling on fishermen to take extra care after claiming swans have been found tangled in line left by anglers and with fishing hooks stuck in their wings, bills and throats at a popular fishing stretch near her Leigh home.

She is seeking support to protect the birds and has even enquired about purchasing the fishing rights to protect the waterfowl.

She said: "Seven days a week the birds are looked after, admired and respected by residents and the hundreds of people who come to view their beauty. But, on Sundays fishermen come, bringing an aggression that changes the whole atmosphere. They kick and hit the birds, then leave without clearing-up. They are not around on Monday when we have to pick up the pieces."

Alice wanted to acquire rights either side of Mather Lane Bridge, only to be knocked back when a Bridgewater Canal Company spokesman said: "The rights aren't for sale, we lease them to angling clubs. We've written to Leigh Anglers Association highlighting the complaint to give them the opportunity to deal with it. Then we'll go from there."

Now Alice is hoping the example of responsible fishermen will influence those she claims don't shown enough consideration.

"If the anglers re-think their policy there is room for everyone," she says.

"All we ask is that they show us and the wildlife some respect and take responsibility for their actions."

A Leigh Anglers Association spokesman said: "We rent the area yearly from the Bridgewater Canal Company. I think fishermen are changing, we do take care to clear-up after ourselves -- it's drummed into us."

Purchase

Alice says if she got enough backing to enable her to purchase the fishing rights, which cost £1,000 per year per mile, her dream would be to create a mini Martin Mere.

"I just want to protect the wildlife," she said. "It's a beautiful place and I hope the kind-hearted people of Leigh will want to work together to bring the best to their town."