Email: Less drama please

Good heavens, less drama please. While I can certainly appreciate that some people may not like the Harecastle tunnel and might choose to 'move away from it', I find it unfair to so harshly criticise the health and safety response that, effectively, Harecastle Tunnel is adequately equipped for emergencies.

Harecastle Tunnel has survived for hundreds of years without public demand that Health & Safety be called in to impose further restrictions and requirements.

In my opinion, boaters—even hire boaters—have a responsibility to themselves and their passengers to be adequately trained in boating and preparation for such emergencies.

Every hire boat I've hired for the last 15 years has had a life ring, and each such hire company has provided me with 'man overboard' procedures: cut the engine, throw the life ring.

If anything at all is to be done, rather than pile a parade of safety mechanisms on the tunnel, ask the hire companies to:

1) Emphasise that the hirers are responsible for the safety of themselves and their passengers, and
2) Make their hirers aware of the dangers of boating, what to do in a 'man overboard' situation, and caveat emptor—let the buyer (or hirer, in this case) beware.

Mike Relac