I WISH to draw the attention of our district councillors to the fact that the Conservative Party no longer rule the roost in the council chamber which brings me to the question 'what good have they done for the people of the Forest of Dean?'

Not too long ago George Read was leader of the council ably assisted by Andrew Gardiner who, in my opinion, should be leader right now.

It seems Venk Shenoi has strong opinions regarding harnessing power from the River Severn. The only thing Venk knows about the Severn is what he gleans from the computer. This is certainly not the case with Andrew Gardiner.

Thanks to Gordon Brown and Co this country does not have enough money to dam Plummers Brook let alone the Severn. Although I believe Venk Shenoi is quite a clever fellow he must bear in mind that the knowledge some of us have did not come via a computer but from being involved with the Severn from Stourport to Land's End.

We have watched the River Parrett operating at Nine Streams and many of us have run Lavernock, the Wolves and Rudder Rock and many more places. If the Severn was dammed at The Shoots, the English Stones or anywhere else it would not take long before we found difficulty in operating a canoe into Sharpness let alone a 3,000 tonner.

Venk may know a bit about rubbish but as regards the Severn he might just find the monster from the deep.

I have sat at various meetings with him and his problem is he wants to be head cook and bottle washer and in his opinion no-one else has the right to speak.

As far as the Severn is concerned it is the blind leading the blind. I have watched the Severn work one side but with the slightest shift of sand cut a different channel often isolating putchers and fishing areas.

I have run the weir at Tewkesbury just making it with a 6ft draft. If there was insufficient water the gates would be swung open and we would run straight through. Many of the vessels would run to Stourport. I have still got some of the charts printed by Arrowsmiths in the early 1930s.

Personally, I am sick and tired of reading and listening to comments by the likes of Venk who know as much about the Severn and Wye as I do about landing on the moon.

For future reference those members of the Conservative Party not sure about the facts should contact Andrew Gardiner. – Mike Meredith-Edwards, Sling.