HAVE you ever wondered what has become of the miners who were made redundant due to the closing of the collieries? I think I have found the answer.

During the evenings from autumn to spring you will find them jogging along the banks of rivers and canals with their miners lamps strapped to their heads.

This dazzling renaissance is causing startled leisure walkers to blindly stray off the straits and narrow into a downward spiral, on a slippery slope to a murky and brambled place not of their choosing.

I wish they would strike a happy medium and dip their head-lights (preferably into the river) so the solitary bedazzled wayfarer can be guided along his way by the light of the moon.

Michael Casey (via email)