River more efficient

Re: your recent report about Hereford County Council's initiative in calling a conference of riverside owners to discuss the possibilities of hydro electric generation. I hope this will provide an example for Shropshire and Powys.

Shropshire possesses many rivers presenting opportunities for economical power generation.

Critics may say they are too slow, especially at certain times of the year and forget that water can be harvested.

This would involve the construction or weirs, mill races and reservoirs. In some instances existing mill pools could be dredged and extended. Water flow could then be remotely regulated.

The reservoirs and pools would provide leisure facilities and be beneficial to wild life. Some land loss would be necessary but surely this is preferable and more environmentally friendly than further proliferation of wind turbines scattered over our beautiful countryside?

I understand that it takes twenty years for wind turbines to generate the amount of power it has taken to build them - at which time the turbine is at the end of its life.

The foreign operators of these ghastly, dangerous to wildlife, monstrosities would not even consider building them, as they wouldn't turn a profit if this Government wasn't shovelling huge amounts of money into them. Still we cannot expect our Chancellor to understand simple profit and loss, can we?

John T Thornicroft, Market Drayton