Metal detecting and the “polluter pays principle”

It’s widely agreed that those who damage the environment should fork out to put right. Of course, not allowing  damage in the first place or at least having laws to minimise it are both preferable but it’s a plain fact that in the case of metal detecting Britain is too bonkers to have applied either of those. Instead, causing damage is allowed and the taxpayer, not the detectorist, pays for mitigation. We’ve spent £20 million on it so far. Detectorists have contributed not a penny.

Until precisely 6 months ago for back in August PAS got the begging bowl out and asked for contributions. Unfortunately only £720 has been raised from just 17 people, not all of them detectorists. Hence, only one in a thousand detectorists have contributed, and then only to a tiny extent. Now though it seems PAS has started begging them in other ways. They’ve written to a club  asking for £60 towards the FLO’s bi monthly visit. The club has “gladly agreed”. It works out at about £1 a month each.

On the other hand, detectorists have found about 5.5 million historic artefacts since PAS was formed and at £20 each that adds up to about £110,000,000. What heroes!

The very existence of PAS is inarguable testament to the fact that legal artefact hunting DOES cause damage, mainly in the form of knowledge loss at the hands of the majority.  Yet it is the taxpayer alone who has paid for attempts to mitigate it through education and persuasion.

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More Heritage Journal views on artefact collecting

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