The recent report about a proposal from a prominent and successful Welsh marina operator to end Watchet’s worrying mud woes was potentially explosive to readers who see near-instant and viable solutions to our silting crisis shot down in a barrage of rebuttal from the marina owner Tim Taylor.

The solution offered should be more than just another light at the end of the tunnel, as suggested by the tone of the response from Watchet’s Harbour Advisory Committee, which must surely acknowledge that many such lights have been glimpsed before, only to be snuffed out with the first passing draught of air.

The only “stonewalling” that should be visible around the harbour is the much-needed repair of the East Quay structure and not limited to turning away viable offers to assist in our hour of need.

I, as former treasurer and member of the now-defunct Watchet Silt and Mud Group know exactly how it feels to be shut out of discussions by the close-knit cadre of harbour influencers who are active in this town, as previously reported in this newspaper.

Personally I would like to see a much more robust approach to Watchet’s mud problems and the associated decline in the town’s prospects by confronting those responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the harbour with the long list of their failings and non-compliance, with a view to relieving them of those responsibilities and forcing the sale of the marina to Marine Group, who could also be contracted by the district council to maintain the outer harbour. 

Job done. Get the mud sorted!

Robin Nuttall, Gladstone Terrace, Watchet