IN HIS letter last week, John Weller was on target about the parasitic nature of the 'bridge hoppers' in the canal boater community. Can I add a few more points about this selfishness?

Full marks to the Canal and River Trust (CRT), as successors to British Waterways, for tackling this thorny issue. It evolved from the days when the canal system seemed to be in terminal decline. Some parts were reclaimed and developed. Others were abandoned and continued to decay. It was largely from here that this community evolved. In those days nobody minded.

That's now changed. Since the Second World War armies of volunteers the length and breadth of the country have battled against the odds to restore many of the original waterways to their former glory. Nowhere is this more evident than in the reclamation of the Kennet & Avon. I've had my own canal boat for 18 years now and have travelled much of England and Wales – 2,000 miles of navigable waterways.

Over that short period the transformation in the canal system has been astonishing. And the most heart-warming part of it is the ever increasing extent to which non-boat owners enjoy our amazing heritage. There are fewer no-go areas and we need to shrink them further. Many other canals, such as the 52 miles of the Wilts and Berks canal running from Semington to Abingdon, are being restored thanks an army of volunteers.

The opportunities to further enhance this heritage for the enjoyment of all are there and are being taken.

Part of that formula is that both the CRT and the local councils need to maximise their income from all sections of the local community to help fund this continuing development. We understand that 'the bridge hoppers' have crafted a way of life for themselves that will be painful and difficult to change. But the reality is that in the main they take much and give little in return. That's wrong.

NICK SEAGER, Via e-mail