Madam, Please may I air my grave concerns regarding some of the recent canoeing incidents that have occurred on the River Wye.

For over 30 years I have been involved with working on the River Wye, for many years I worked as ghyllie on the Wye below Lydbrook and in the later years of my full time employment as a Water Bailiff/Enforcement Officer for the Environment Agency based on the River Wye.

Both these occupations brought me into close contact with the river in all its moods, from the bare bones of the 1976 drought to the huge floods of the late 1990s and the early 2000s.

During this time I have witnessed the volume of uncontrolled canoe traffic reach almost epidemic proportions, particularly at weekends and holiday periods. In the section from Ross to Monmouth there are few days that canoes 'navigating' the river cannot be observed.

More worrying is the river conditions in which totally inexperienced people are attempting to paddle the river.

The Wye is a large powerful stretch of water subject to fast rises in water levels where even at summer level and below it is not a place for people inadequately clad and without experience of fast currents and under tows to attempt to "navigate".

With my years of experience of using wooden, fibre glass and inflatable dinghies on the Wye on many different water levels any inexperienced canoeist should not be allowed to take to the lower Wye if the water level is above four feet on the Hereford Gauge (and rising).

The river heights are available at all times both from the Environment Agency and the Wye and Usk Foundation.

I firmly believe the hire company should be held responsible for the cost of any rescue operation, this then would ensure a higher level of river awareness and safety.

GRH Woodward

At 10:00 on 09/07/2012 the river level at Ross On Wye is 2.11 metres or 6' - 11 1/10". The typical river level range for this location is between 0.25 metres and 2.64 metres.

The highest river level recorded at this location is 4.68 metres and the river level reached 4.68 metres on 22/07/2007.