CANOEISTS in York have praised a local MP who is set to take their campaign for access to rivers to the top levels of Government.

Selby MP John Grogan said he plans to meet with Barry Gardiner, Junior Minister in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), to press for a change in the law.

Mr Grogan is appealing for legislation similar to walkers' "right to roam" to open up rivers in England and Wales, where the public has access to only two per cent of all water courses.

He said: "The fact that to paddle down a river in the 21st century you have to get the permission of the landowner next to it seems to me patently ridiculous.

"Canoeing is one of the sports where we have a real chance in London 2012, we have good tradition of medals in it and there is an argument to encourage people to take up this very healthy sport.

"I am hoping that the new minister, who has a background in sport, will see the merits of it."

Under the current system only 4,500km of rivers have navigation rights compared with 65,000km where water users have no legal access.

The owners of land next to rivers control access, and canoeists are forced to negotiate restrictive voluntary agreements. In Scotland paddlers have a right to access rivers similar to that enjoyed by walkers.

Mr Grogan launched an Early Day Motion a way for MPs to highlight an issue on the campaign in November and has so far got 120 MPs to back the move.

Jon Allars, president of York Canoe Club, said he welcomed Mr Grogan's continued support for the campaign.

He said: "It has been absolutely brilliant what he has been able to achieve.

"We are looking for fair access to rivers as the system of voluntary access agreements just is not working.

"There is access to so little water in the UK that most paddlers want some kind of legislation along the lines of the right to roam.

"In my opinion it is an archaic system. We do not want to take anything from the estates; all we want to do is use the water next to their land. The majority of paddlers will leave no trace that they have been there."