IT WAS with great interest that I read the front page story in last week's Mercury concerning the proposed barrage project

IT WAS with great interest that I read the front page story in last week's Mercury concerning the proposed barrage project.Weston has long been in need of a major facelift and where other seaside town resorts have made major investments into their town centres and seafront facilities, Weston has done precisely nothing, other than to close the Tropicana and spend many years arguing about a suitable replacement.What a great boost the implementation of the proposed barrage project would give to the town, its residents and businesses.One of the greatest drawbacks for Weston has been the disappearing sea. In some parts of Britain our town is known colloquially as 'Weston-super-Mud'. The barrage would solve this problem and allow tourists to concentrate their attention on our excellent beach, which is often overlooked.My wife Joan and I, owners of the Royal Hotel, are fully behind this scheme which, when allied to the proposed public facilities to be included in the Tropicana redevelopment, particularly the leisure pool, which is an absolute essential, should put Weston back on the map as a premier seaside resort. We are local people and old enough to remember the good old days when Weston was a thriving and much visited resort. Times have moved on and it is time for the town to be dragged screaming into the 21st Century by providing the modern and up-to-date facilities that the current holidaymakers demand.Our sincere hope is that the people of Weston will be united in supporting this scheme and that the council will be proactive rather than obstructive and, together, we will launch a new and exciting era for the town. CYRIL EGGINGTON - Proprietor, Royal Hotel, South Parade, Weston