Canoeist is arrested, held for two hours and has his DNA taken - all for the 'crime' of paddling down a river

As he paddled along one of Britain's most beautiful stretches of river, Nigel Conway pondered the stand he'd just taken.



The keen sportsman had refused to pay £3 to a rafting company for the right to take his canoe on the waterway.



Mr Conway mused that such defiance might stir up debate, perhaps even a bit of a row with the firm – and he was happy to argue the point. But unfortunately, he was heading for much rougher water.



Making waves: Nigel Conway in his canoe

The company contacted North Wales police officers, who arrested Mr Conway and took him to a police station and questioned him for more than two hours.



His fingerprints and a mugshot were taken, as was his DNA. 'I was totally shocked,' said Mr Conway, 32, from Shrewsbury, Shropshire. 'I couldn't believe they had come to arrest me.



'I refused to pay to paddle the river – it is a matter of principle – everyone should have the right to access water free of charge.



'But because I politely declined they took me to a police station and I had my fingerprints, a photograph and my DNA taken. That was the most annoying thing because that will be kept on permanent record.



'It was such a joke, even the officers at the station were laughing about why I'd been arrested.'



Mr Conway's ordeal is the latest controversy for North Wales police, whose chief constable Richard Brunstrom, has a habit of making headlines.



North Wales Police Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom: He has earned the nickname 'the Mad Mullah of the Traffic Taliban'

Nicknamed 'the Mad Mullah of the Traffic Taliban' for his zeal on road safety issues, he has called for the number of speed cameras to be trebled, the legalisation of hard drugs and been forced to apologise for handing out pictures of a decapitated motorcyclist without the permission of the victim's family.



Mr Brunstrom also defied Crown Prosecution Service advice by investigating claims that Tony Blair shouted 'f****** Welsh' after Labour's poor performance in the 1999 Welsh Assembly election.

Arthur Roberts, spokesman for campaigners People for Proper Policing, said: 'This beggars belief. It is another example of North Wales police going too far and criminalising innocent members of the public trying to go about their daily lives.



'Not content with making the lives of motorists a misery, it seems North Wales police are going for canoeists as well. This is a total waste of taxpayers' money.'

Mr Conway was arrested last Thursday, a week after he refused to pay to paddle along the River Dee, in Llangollen, North Wales.

James Jayes, an Olympic canoeing coach who owns JJ Canoeing and Rafting and leases land on either side of the river from a local landowner, claims he owns the rights to the riverbed.

He charges the public between £3 and £5 to paddle a 830-yard stretch of water near his premises.



Mr Conway, a married father of one who owns a canoe shop, 'politely declined' to pay the fee when approached by a member of staff on the riverbank.



He was arrested under Section 11 of the Fraud Act 2006 for 'obtaining services dishonestly' before being released on police bail. He is due to find out next month whether he will be charged.

There is no specific law governing rights of access on rivers in England and Wales. Landowners who have bought land along a stretch of riverbank argue they own that stretch of river, therefore they have a right to charge people to use it.



However, boating and canoeing organisations disagree.



Mr Conway is a member of Shrewsbury Canoe Club. If his case goes to court it could be an important test case for river access rights, a spokesman for the club said.

A spokesman for JJ Canoeing and Rafting refused to comment.

A North Wales Police spokeswoman said: 'A man has been arrested on suspicion of obtaining services dishonestly and has been released on police bail pending further inquiries.'