Letter: Neglect of the River Severn

I would like to reply to the letter of February 28, regarding the River Severn in Shrewsbury needing attention.

There used to be the Severn Water Board who had a punt-like boat on the river. It carried several men who would tidy up the banks of the river and cut off any overhanging branches to keep the edges of the river clear.

In the late 1940s, the river was dredged and there were none of the current sandbanks or areas of the river that were very shallow, and so the river flowed swiftly down to Worcester.

I am 78 years of age, and my father owned St Winifred's and the island in the river, so I remember all this well as I grew up.

What has happened to the river board that used to keep the riverbanks clean and tidy? There is a lot of neglect on all the riverbanks around Shrewsbury.

Cathleen G Haynes

Shrewsbury