IN response to the outburst towards cyclists by Councillor Fred Slater (LET, April 15), I assume that he has never tried his luck on one of the cycle paths at the side of the road which encourage us with young families who enjoy cycling to take to the canal towpaths.

I have lost count of the number of times an angler has removed his pole from the canal and thrust it just in front of me with such venom it's amazing the thing didn't break. A glance in each direction beforehand would save a lot of abuse and heartache on either's part.

It doesn't matter whether you are walking, cycling or riding a horse, anglers all believe they have privileged use of the towpath because they belong to some club or other. Surely, there are enough rivers and lakes which contain fish which are only accessible to people on foot for them to be out of the way. Or is there some perverse reason for spending the weekend sitting by a stretch of water that stinks of diesel while the few fish therein are by no means suitable for consumption?

When I was a lad, a fishing rod was four to five feet long, with a reel and line and the skill was to be able to cast across the stretch of water you were fishing, not to have 40ft length of carbon fibre with a short length of line on the end so you can place it wherever you want it at the other side of the canal. Where's the skill in that?

Surely, there is room on the towpath for us all. All it takes is a bit of common courtesy and maybe a sign erected by the fishing club asking for extra awareness when a competition or club fishing activities are going on. No nasty outbursts over the use of a cyclist's bell or a cheery 'Excuse me' would also go a long way.

NEIL LOFTHOUSE, Abbot Clough Avenue, Blackburn.