I REFER to the main article on Page 10 in your edition of September 11 which was headed 'They won't let me clean up the river '.

I read this article with growing concern, anger and disbelief. Living, as I do, immediately adjacent to the land in question, I have watched, over a period of at least a year, the steady efforts of Mr Bancroft to clear this site, fence it, level it, seed it, plant trees on it.

I have also seen him retrieving all manner of debris out of the Tonge. He has begun to transform an ugly, dirty, even dangerous area, into a pleasant, safe little haven.

As a near neighbour, I know which set of circumstances I prefer. All the residents in Cemetery Road, indeed all the town of Bolton, especially its planners and environmentalists, should be thanking Mr Bancroft for his efforts to date, and they should he supporting and encouraging him in his future endeavours, not standing in his way.

Perhaps Mr Bancroft is encountering his difficulties with officialdom, as a result of the vindictive actions of a disgruntled former occupier of a dilapidated garage previously sited on the land that has been cleaned up? If so, let he/she stand up and make their objections known to all the local residents -- I know who will get my vote.

As an institution with some clout in our community, could the BEN, while retaining its impartiality, not bring some pressure to bear on the faceless local authority to be as helpful as possible to a man trying to do something of great benefit, not only for himself, but for others too?

Mr M Rushton

Cemetery Road

Bolton