Email: The last word...

I, like many, am envious of continuous cruisers and the freedom they have to enjoy our waterways. Work and time constraints don't allow most of us the same pleasures.

However, I understand that those of us with moorings are subsiding those without and paying an additional sum to British Waterways and now CART which is used—we hope—to help maintain the system which we all use, by way of a percentage of our mooring fees,, which are accordingly set and increased to take account of this

I'm not interested in whether continuous cruisers use the canals more than me—good on them if they can—but do feel they should pay a fair and equal share for the maintenance of the system

Is it so unreasonable to ask that they pay an equivalent flat fee on top of their annual licence which equates to the average additional contribution moorers pay via their mooring fees which I doubt is as much as the £500 suggested ?

Whilst they are saving on mooring fees should they not pay a similar sum to the rest of us for the systems upkeep ?

As for mooring over-stayers and lock landing/water point moorers cannot we have a system of fixed penalties ? We are all used to them in car parks and towns and even the National Trust has similar in their car parks. Monies raised might pay for more and better enforcement and return some of the staff to maintain the system.

S Toghill

[We have published every email received on this subject, but feel that this should be the last word, as it has been very well covered by the readers.]