Kevin Pyne, of Lake Street, Dartmouth, writes:

I would like to consider myself an environmentalist and a lover of everything upon, under and Dartside of the river and its surrounding seas.

I pick up all the plastic rubbish, fishing hooks and fishing line that I see when I am afloat, for instance, and usually a bag or two of the wretched stuff if I am on the beach.

I also had the first lean burn diesel engine on the river Dart, of which now there are many, with the smoking, oil-emitting engines being now mercifully consigned to the past.

But with regard to the frustrations regarding the building of the new slipway, rare worm or no worm, I concur with M J Bowden of Ridge Hill.

But you see, I spent Friday afternoon scrambling in the mud-strewn park putting back boats after moving them, like so many others have, for the supposed slipway build and development , which now because of the interference of Natural England and whoever else fancies a seat and a poke on such a decision board won't happen once again this year. I am pretty frustrated and fed up regarding the matter.

However has it happened that we have let so many institutions override the use of common sense in this country?

When if you look seaward most days, there are massive ships that only need collide or run onto rocks and the whole of our eco structure will be ruined, not just a few worm holes. Or what if one of our huge cruise ships hit a rock coming or leaving, which, heaven forbid, never happens any where in the world, does it?

Kingsbridge has a fine slipway, Salcombe has a fine slipway and Totnes also has an adequate slipway. Dartmouth needs its slipway desperately, we are a town in the leisure industry and marine leisure is surely a big part of that.

Frankly, I am disappointed at yet another delay with regards to this matter, and I was in no mood for a long and all-knowing written lecture in the letters pages of the good old Cron after I had finished, from some environmental, I-am-the-only-one-who-knows-it-all and latter-day supposed saviour of our river.

When the gentleman concerned has spent as much time down on our rubbish, slimy, falling-to-pieces slipway as I know Mr Bowden has, and primarily for the interests of others, then by all means speak up. But a crude attempt to rubbish one of the most respected ex-rowers and watermen that I have had the honour ever to know sticks very much in my craw.

In fairness, both county and district had done their parts to achieve an affordable solution for every one.

At least a whole third of the town is reclaimed from water, and every century the water becomes increasingly higher and covers even more land,so creatures have to move on with or without man's help.

And yes, it would have been a great idea to have kept at least one of the wartime slips, if only as testament to the bravery of those who left here for the ensuing battle of Normandy and the liberation of Europe.

Today we have far too many quangos, and I can't help wondering how Natural England still has the necessary funds to cost others hundreds of thousands when the nation is supposedly running out of cash. Expensive intrusions like this are just plain daft.

Some times the traffic on that slipway reaches a point beyond belief, especially in high summer. So, why do we shoot ourselves in the foot once again?