One man in the UK impulsively decided to dredge the bed of a natural river and remove several trees near his home. This decision not only destroyed the river’s natural and rightful composition but also landed the man in jail.

At 63 miles long, the River Lugg has been an important part of the local ecological system and natural landscape for more than 1,000 years. 

That includes testing the water, ensuring the wildlife is thriving, watching for flooding or drought, and keeping the lake clean from pollution.

He dredged the river bed, removed the natural gravel, and cleared over a mile and a half of vegetation along the river’s edge, leaving the riverbank absolutely devastated.

However, it’s become clear that the “work” he did to the river would not have prevented any future floods; in fact, the trees he cut down and the river bed he destroyed would have far better protected the properties.

In addition to stopping Price from continuing his blight against the environment, the Environment Agency also took several photos that they later used when they took Price to court.

They also told the judge, “Fish, plants, native crayfish, and birds may take years to make a gradual return to previous populations.”

He was also ordered to pay £655,000 ($837,000) for restoration work and £600,000 ($766,700) in prosecution costs. Additionally, he was banned from acting as a company director for three years.

Maybe it’s because he’s a multi-millionaire or maybe it’s because he wasn’t forced to serve his entire sentence, but John Price wasn’t all that phased by his punishment. As a matter of fact, almost immediately after getting out of jail, he committed (nearly) the exact same crime again.

However, because Price cut down eight times more trees than is allowed in the UK, he was fined an additional £2,060 ($2,632), which, again, is pocket change to the multimillionaire.

Judge Strongman also sadly reported that the section of river that Price destroyed is now “a canal devoid of life.”

Oliver Harmar, the chief operating officer at Natural England, explained, “The decimation of this section of the River Lugg has been devastating to the local environment and to local people, destroying the habitats of iconic wildlife such as otters, kingfisher and salmon. It was heartbreaking to see this beautiful riverside illegally damaged.”

In fact, there are dozens of stories just like it from all around the world where people take it upon themselves to “change” the natural landscape around them, meanwhile destroying a beautiful and necessary part of our planet.

After a lengthy investigation, they found that the Australian man had absolutely devastated the natural ecosystem in more ways than one.

Additionally, he removed soil from the Bowling Green Bay National Park to solidify the road he built in place of the natural wetlands.

To do so, he used concrete, bricks, used pipes, and other waste materials, which obstructed the natural flow of the river.

The judge couldn’t deny that the man broke the law in numerous ways and ruled with the protection agency. Although the man was not sentenced to prison, he was left with a hefty fine for his mistakes.

Senior Conservation Officer Craig Dunk said after the ruling, “Today’s decision reaffirms our continued commitment to a zero tolerance of environmental harm within our nationally and internationally recognized protected areas.”

Dunk also hopes that the message to all who read this horrific story is quite clear: “We won’t hesitate to hold people accountable for damaging our precious environment.”

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is pressing charges and is hoping that the judge will approve a $110,395 fine for the man’s egregious mistake.

A organization reported, “The relationship between mangroves and their associated marine life cannot be overemphasized. Florida’s important recreational and commercial fisheries would drastically decline without healthy mangrove forests.”

Mangroves provide natural protection from flooding, waves, and storm winds. All of which are becoming increasingly more common in Florida thanks to climate change.

One user wrote, “110k… lol that is laughable,” another said, “hopefully one day they’ll be taught a lesson by nature as to why mangroves are so important.” Still a third wrote, “somebody should be in jail.”

But even though Price and the others paid their fines and served their time, sadly, as conservationist Mile King explained, “no amount of money will bring the habitats and species back” to the River Lugg.