THE noise of people enjoying a high-wire adventure course could spell the end of a thriving fishery business and a grim future for the stretch of river enjoyed by thousands of anglers.

That was the message to Eastleigh Borough Council members from opponents of plans to install the attraction in the Itchen Valley Country Park.

Disturbance from the Go Ape course was the issue the campaigners were highlighting.

Speaking to the council’s environment scrutiny committee, Lower Itchen Fishery boss, Lyndsey Farmiloe, said she feared that noise such as loud “Tarzan calls” would deter the fishermen and that would mean that she would not be able to maintain the three-and-a-half mile stretch of river which was the habitat of many species of wildlife, including kingfishers and otters.

After the meeting, she said: “This part of the river is the jewel in the crown of Eastleigh, but if we could not afford to do all the work, it would quickly become a muddy bog.

“Fishermen from all over the world come to fish in the River Itchen and enjoy the tranquillity and amazing wildlife. Go Ape will stop them coming.”

She went on to say that the river was a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation, which helped to bring more than £4m into the local economy.

Campaigners, Margaret Raff and Christine Wright, also complained that councillors, officers and experts had not looked at the noise implications where the fishery came closest to the proposed leisure development.

They claim the noise comparison with Moors Valley Go Ape, near Ringwood, was inaccurate as the attraction was shut at the time it was measured with staff told to simulate the noise of a massive holiday crowd.

After hearing their arguments, committee members decided that the noise aspect should be looked at again.

They also recommended that the authority should look at how often the filters that stopped oil getting into the river were maintained and that the distribution of bird and bat boxes around the facility should be reappraised.

As part of the decision made in December to give the scheme the go-ahead, construction of the course would not be allowed to start during nesting season, which runs from March to August.

A borough council spokesman said the plan was being sent back to check that the original noise assessment had been completed correctly.

“The issues around the Go- Ape application, raised by the environment scrutiny panel, are being passed to the head of development control for consideration before he determines whether to permit the application.”