VE had some interesting reactions to my column outlining the Environment Agency’s River Thames Scheme aimed at safeguarding homeowners and businesses on our stretch of the Thames from future flooding. John Carter from Chertsey said:…

Government 'rescue' falls £120m short

Some loving TLC as we restore a little wheel power to beloved Terra Nova

It's always nice when old friends come back to visit and that was certainly the case for the members of Weybridge Ladies Amateur Rowing Club (WLARC) a couple of weeks ago.

I went along to the River Users’ Group Eight meeting on Tuesday at the Thames Motor Yacht Club in Molesey and was delighted to hear chairman Mike Shefras announce that after a lot of haggling with the Environment Agency the group had secured an undertaking that no more lock houses would be let for the next year.

A trip along the Thames in the Richmond Venturer a healing tonic for ex-servicemen and women

Chance to have your say on protecting one of our finest assets – our beloved stretch of the river

As regular readers of this column will be aware, I’ve often expressed doubts about the Environment Agency’s decision not to replace resident lock keepers on the Thames and to rent out their empty houses to the public.

But lock-keeper's house to be included in Environment Agency's renting experiment

It seems that many readers have also observed the huge flocks of birds swooping and wheeling over the river each morning and evening that were mentioned by Nigel Brecknell in Riverwatch a couple of weeks ago.