Dear Editor,

Wind power seems to be causing a lot of problems – so maybe more waterwheels in suitable places could be an answer without upsetting the neighbours. When we first married (1955) we lived on a small hill farm in mid Wales. There was no phone, electricity or piped water. My brother-in-law was an electrician and said that if we could find a suitable site to build a dam he could help us – as a wedding present. About a quarter of a mile from the house on our land was a stream running through a deep small valley which he said was a suitable site. After much searching we found an old Pelton wheel, which had a series of small cups, and a second hand generator, a number of discarded telegraph poles and suitable heavy wires. The dam was built with nearby stone and concrete enclosing the pipe so that the water was aimed at the cups and near the generator. It was all done with family labour and it was wonderful to have free light except for spells of heavy frost or drought. Can anyone explain why water cannot be used more when there is so much of it here and need not upset anyone?

BRIDGET PRIDEAUX

Tegryn