"Sacha" wrote in message
...


Please may I suggest that we get back onto an even keel here?

Yes, I'm sorry that I've over-reacted but I do feel strongly about it.

Thousands and
thousands of children have grown up round ponds, rivers, harbours,
shorelines or on boats etc. What is needed is for their adults to be
sensible about this.
Eliminating every garden pond in Britain is not going about this the right
way.
So. While children are small and can slip out through doors un-noticed,
fence the pond with horizontal palings 4' high and no more than 3" apart.
Padlock any access gate and teach children respect for........water,
stinging nettles, barbed wire, plants, large animals that kick or bite and
ditto small ones that scratch or bite and above all, to do what they're
told! Our grand daughter has fallen into the fish pond once and been
hauled
out and down the last 5 stairs of her home and broken her arm! Shall we
all
buy bungalows?
Take sensible precautions, aware that small children move faster than
quicksilver. And to be frank and probably far more importantly, make sure
that your children cannot run, unsupervised, onto a road passing your
house.
How many people don't have that and how many do have ponds?

Well said.

Mary