Email: Nothing doing

I made an effort to visit British Waterways, or perhaps I should call it Cart now, main marina at Sawley expecting the flags to be out welcoming the move to a charity.

But there was nothing, just a Union Jack and a commercial flag for clothes the chandlery sells, yet I read that the move would be celebrated all over the place on Monday when it was signed over.

I read about all the money being spent on flags and buntings, and at least expected some sort of celebration, then I have just read your news item 'Nothing to celebrate', which explains, and which I agree with totally, as experiencing the state of the waterways at present on the Trent & Mersey there is certainly nothing to shout about.

I spoke to hire boaters, who think it is all okay, having no experience of the days when maintenance was done, but the long term boaters tell a different tale, with one in a deep draughted boat complaining that he was often grounding on the bottom, and apologised for not moving over too far when he passed, otherwise he would be stuck again.

Like many others, with this new charity and the way it is composed with all those non-boaters flogging their own corners, things can only get worse.

Jimmy Lockwood

PS I have just looked at Waterways World website, and not even a mention about the changeover, which tells us something.