I REFER to the article in The Press of February 27, headlined: “Dirty River Foss branded eyesore”.

I fail to understand the council’s stance that it does not undertake cleaning in the winter. Cold weather is surely not the issue; there are many outdoor winter workers including the council’s own, and the Foss is rarely at a level where the flow of water could be construed as dangerous, even during an excessively wet winter like the one we have just experienced.

The council’s statement that it “provides the river cleaning boat and a member of staff free of charge to support cleaning the river” is also mystifying as it owns, and is responsible for, the river ever since the York Corporation purchased it from the Foss Navigation Company in 1853.

Peter Mills, Fishergate, York.