SIR - May I advise John Phillpott that Pershore's Stanley Parr is not the only person in the county to advocate the dredging of the river Severn.

My father, Frank Ellaway, has been saying this for the last 50 years.

He worked on the river Severn, working the dredgers for the Severn Commission and British Waterways between 1942 and 1954.

Since that time he has worked with boats on the rivers Salwarpe and Severn.

There were three dredgers working the Severn, and one dredger on the Gloucester Sharpness Canal. A navigable channel of eight feet was maintained between Gloucester lock and Worcester, then six feet between Worcester and Stourport.

The river was dredged in 43 places between Gloucester lock cutting and Stourport bridge basin.

I cannot remember the last time I saw a dredger around Worcester.

Putting up flood barriers is only extends the river bank upwards.

If the river bed was cleared of silt downwards then it would achieve the same end - allowing the river more depth to flow.

Dredging will never stop the flooding, but with more depth it will take more water to fill the river banks.

As for asking the Environment Agency about flooding - well, my father has forgotten more about the river Severn than they will ever know!

He relishes telling about the official who asked him which way the river ran!

GLYNIS POSTANS, Worcester.