Cart before horse...

Houses are going up like mushrooms in the fields and water supplies are going down like bathwater down the drain.

I remember the summer of 1959.

That year I worked at a holiday camp in Rustington (Mallon Dene). It was one of the hottest and driest summers on record, yet water levels were higher than they are at present, and it is only the beginning of April.

The country’s population is more than 60m and predictions are for many more in future.

It is a frightening thought that the south-east, including our own area, is the most sought-after place to live.

Our green and pleasant land is slowly being bulldozed away and bricks and concrete are slowly taking over.

Wildlife is being destroyed and fish are slowly suffocating in the diminishing streams and rivers.

We might consider that other parts of the world that are hotter and drier than our own country have water supplies that are still abundant.

Our coast stretches the whole of the south-east, so what about desalination plants? We have plenty of water offshore.

As with so much planning in this country, the cart always seems to be put before the horse.

And to end with this: what about the water vole? What would poor old Ratty have to say?

GA Harris

Armada Way

Beaumont Park

Littlehampton