Not justified

I sometimes wonder what world these people live in. A spokesman for Canal & River Trust says that the poetry on lock beams will attract more visitors to the canals, writes David Hymers.

You can just imagine the conversation: "What shall we do today, dear?" "I know, lets go down to the canal and read the poetry on the lock beams." "That's a good idea—we'll take the kids and then they can graffiti their own poetry over it."

Pointless poetry

If Mr Eastop can't come up with a better justification than Leonardo designing a lock and also being an artist he really needs to find another job; Leonardo designed a huge range of things, many of them impractical at the time, though beautifully drawn; just because he also painted the Mona Lisa doesn't justify pointless poetry.

Perhaps he will have the Mona Lisa painted on the outside of a bottom lock gate—one of the singles on the BCN would be about the right size.

What on earth does an Arts Development Manager do anyway—and how much is the Trust paying him? I hope Robin Evans' replacement will review the necessity for daft jobs like this.