Sir – I’ve often pondered the reason why (while sat with glass in hand) boats of all types pass under Abingdon bridge heading toward the lock, then turn around and come back, disappear under the bridge again, only to reappear five minutes later and motor on through? The same of boats coming the other way too?

But it wasn’t until I walked along the riverbank from the lock to Culham, the reason for this became clear. There is nowhere to moor up.

From the lock to opposite the swimming pool and from St Helen’s church all the way to Culham, the once-manicured riverbank, home to tens of summer visitors each day, is now a deliberate three-metre-wide margin of weeds, which for the most part are so tall walkers cannot see the river.

But, more importantly, they prevent Abingdon’s valuable river visitors mooring up. Surely the best use of the town’s biggest asset is to encourage our river visitors to moor and visit Abingdon — not to turn it into a mini Slimbridge.

Steve King, Abingdon