Anglers are fighting to save their beloved fishing spot as a council announced it wants to ban the activity there after almost 25 years.

Users of the moat at Park Farm in Ashford are baffled as to why fishing is scheduled to stop there at the end of March and say it has become a community there which has helped many people through dark times.

Stanhope Angling Club member of a decade Robert Heath, says it is very sad Ashford Borough Council (ABC) has made this decision and the club has been left in limbo not knowing why.

"I usually come here about five times a week," he said.

"I think the communication aspect of the decision is more upsetting. They have said 'no fishing' but we have been asking the question why.

"After 24 years of being someone's tenant you would have thought out of respect that you deserve more than that.

"We have been led to believe it is a financial issue and we do know how much it is going to cost to de-silt this moat.

"What will happen to the lake is a bigger issue. It will go to rack and ruin.

"What happens when it is left unguarded and becomes a tipping ground? What if someone falls in and there is no one here?

"It is another amenity which is being taken away. I want someone to tell me where else kids can go for a day out at just £5. There are not many places.

"But come the end of March, they're mad if they think people won't come fishing here anymore. There will be more people fishing here than we have in our club."

Jemma Coales, has been fishing at the moat for 18 years and says it is really close to her heart.

"It is a really great nature spot and a beautiful nature spot," she said.

"We've built a nice close-knit community around here where we all speak to each other on the swims.

"I've suffered with my mental health since I was about 15 and I turned to fishing to really help me.

"It has really got me out of a deep dark spot and it is a good distraction and a good coping mechanism that I use and I would hate to see it go."

The 23-year-old says in the summer, she and her family come fishing every evening and she cannot understand why thousands of pounds have been invested in the play area nearby, but not the moat.

"It is such a beautiful spot and it is so sad to see it dying out because there has been no support for it and us as a community, we are happy to come together and help as much as we can.

"We would happily get our waders on and clear out the roots so I just don't think we should give up on it so easily.

"They've just spent £400,000 on a new park next to the moat which is bringing so many people here and they want to bring their kids here and feed the birds and I just don't understand why you would want to get rid of such a naturally beautiful spot.

"It's just about the community sticking together."

Sandra Clarke has been fishing at the moat in Park Farm for over 20 years and says generations of her family have learnt to fish here.

"I have been in Ashford for 50 odd years and 22 years in Park Farm," she said.

"I have always been a fisherwoman from a very young age - I taught my boys to fish and they have now taught their children to fish.

"I know practically everyone who fishes here and it is a great community.

"I have helped young kids here too."

The 75-year-old says she thoroughly enjoys fishing and it helps her mentally.

"It is a mental thing for everybody," she said.

"The kids don't have much else to do in Ashford but if they can come here and pay £5 for a day they can spend all day here.

"It would be a shame for this historical site to go. We need it for the community.

"I don't think the council are bothered about the site - yes it could do with the weeds sorting out but I am sure people would volunteer and get in there and cut it back because they want to save it.

"Everyone has a pleasure of coming around here."

Park Farm resident Mr Collett, has also been fishing at the moat for the past 20 years and says it could be a real hub for the community.

"It's just so relaxing fishing here," he said.

"It could definitely be the hub of the community.

"Money needs to be spent on it, there are loads of weeds in it which are taking over.

"It needs to be kept tidy but the council don't seem to have done anything."

In a bid to save the moat, Kingsnorth Parish Council (KPC) has started an online petition to save the historical site which has been fished at since 1996.

KPC chairman James Ransley says a few months ago the Stanhope Angling Club contacted the parish council after having concerns the moat was getting shallower.

"We've been trying to arrange for the moat to be de-silted so fishing can continue after discussions with ABC and fundraising but it seems ABC doesn't have enough money to de-silt the moat," he said.

"We started the petition to get the council to discuss it in more depth because we think it has been a bit brief in the way they have dealt with it so far.

He added it would be great to get the petition to 1,500 signatures because then it would be discussed in chambers.

Parish manager, Peter Le Rossignol added it is better for young people to be fishing as oppose to being on the street causing trouble.

He added he felt it is a shame the nearby park had seen a £400,000 upgrade but the moat was "going to ruin" and could compliment the new park.

Cllr Trish Cornish (Ashford Independents), ABC councillor for Park Farm North, says she is totally in support of fishing at the moat but a de-slit needs to be carried out to ensure the fish have enough oxygen to survive.

"A petition is great but everyone needs to know why the fishing is to discontinue," she said.

"When I was elected in May 2020, I was made aware that the level of the water in the moat was low and a de-silt was necessary for the fish to survive.

"We explored every angle via ABC and other organisations who could provide a grant but to no avail. There were temporary fixes to the situation such as a substance being added to the water which can help to de-silt, but it appears to be throwing good money after bad."

In December fishers raised concerns over the condition of the moat, calling it an eyesore.

A spokesman for ABC said: "Following our discussions in 2022 with the angling club parish council and ward members an agreement has been reached to cease fishing at the moat site situated in Park Farm from the end of March 2023.

"The moat is not a public fishery, and to fish there you need to be part of the angling club.

"We believe the angling club have found an alternative location which is much better situated to angling as a while.

"We will continue to maintain the site as a public open space and for the wider biodiversity opportunities that the moat provides."

The spokesman added the de-silting needed would be needed to use it as a fishery and ensure the welfare of the fish there.

The council is planning to carry out works relating to drainage and safety of the water and fish will be relocated to a "more suitable location of the club's choosing".

The moat is believed to have surrounded a medieval Manor House.

It is thought to have been used for defensive purposes or for the drainage of the clay ground that the manor was built on. The only observed remains of any possible medieval structure are some ragstone walling, as well as some terracing which appears to be medieval.