I WAS shocked when I visited Kents Bank railway station on Saturday, August 24 to find cross bay walkers queuing up to use water from the Friends of Kents Bank Station and Foreshore’s water butt to wash their muddy feet and shoes.

Given there were hundreds of walkers finishing the walk at Kents Bank station it would not have taken them long to empty our water butt. This is the only source of water for our gardening volunteers who work hard to ensure the station and its foreshore have attractive gardens for visitors and residents to enjoy.

When our water butt runs dry, as it did a few weeks ago, our dedicated volunteer gardeners bring water from their homes to help the plants survive. There is no mains water supply on the station. In extremis, such as last year’s drought, volunteers even take plants home into "intensive care" to ensure the gardens will continue to flourish.

This water butt is situated in a private area. It is not for public use.

The walkers who were using the water butt said they had been advised to use it. However, when I spoke to one of the organisers, she assured me they had not encouraged walkers to use our volunteer gardeners’ precious water resource to wash their feet and shoes. She also said the organisers did not condone this behaviour.

It is very disheartening when a few selfish cross bay walkers do not respect private property or value the work volunteers are doing to make Kents Bank station and foreshore pleasant places for visitors to relax and enjoy the ever-changing views of Morecambe Bay.

Valerie Kennedy

Group coordinator

Friends of Kents Bank Station and Foreshore