WITH reference to the speculation about the proposed Severn Barrage, I am afraid that this has to be a dead duck because the very nature of the Severn Estuary will not sustain it. In Weston we have a working model of the proposed barrage in the form of t

WITH reference to the speculation about the proposed Severn Barrage, I am afraid that this has to be a dead duck because the very nature of the Severn Estuary will not sustain it. In Weston we have a working model of the proposed barrage in the form of the Marine Lake. The tide comes in twice a day and the muddy water flows over the walkway and is trapped in the Marine Lake. This then remains static for an hour or so at high tide and some of the mud settles to the bottom of the lake. Then the tides goes out and the semi clear water above the walkway level flows out leaving the mud behind. About 15 years ago a contractor from Avonmouth dredged the lake and lowered the mud levels so that the average depth of the water was about eight feet deep. Fifteen years later the lake is barely two feet deep, and that is what would happen eventually to the Severn Estuary above the barrage line, and that includes the Weston beaches. If you don't believe me go and have a look at the Marine Lake and see for yourself.M T KERR - Paragon Road, Weston