I REFER to an article (LET, October 4) about having £20,000 to spruce up roads and canals.

I lost my son, Shaun Smith, in June. He tragically drowned in the canal and several children have since died in the same circumstances.

Instead of cleaning the canal they should drain it, or make it safe so this will not happen again.

Money could be spent on making sure our children are safe. It is no good making something more attractive if it's not safe.

They could put fencing up at the edge of the water as its no longer a working canal. It is for people's pleasure but it is taking so many lives.

I miss my son and I have another young child to think about. I am now terrified to take him near water.

I also would like to thank Deborah Berry for her wonderful poem in the paper (Letters, October 4).

Where I live we have no adventure playground. I think every estate should have one so that we would know where our children are.

My son would not have gone to the canal if we had had a big playground for him to play on.

L BUFTON, Gloucester Road, Blackburn.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.