WITH the floods breaking all-time records and creating misery for those affected, I wish to remind the Environment Agency that the Severn was once a commercial river.

It was regularly dredged to remove the layers of silt and debris which naturally accumulate.

In fact, I once bought silt some 20 odd years ago to use as topsoil for my garden.

Nowadays, dredging no longer takes place as it is cited as being far too costly. Yet the cost involved in restoring people's homes after this particular flood subsides will no doubt run into millions.

If silt was regularly removed from the riverbed, as it once was, would the Severn have flooded so severely or would it have remained within its natural boundaries?

I appreciate that floods have always been a problem in our area, but constructing flood defence barriers, such as those proposed for Bewdley, will only push the problem further down river.

Dredging would remove at least four to five feet of silt from the riverbed. This could make all the difference in a severe flood.

MR P SMITH, Worcester.