Who gives a dam?

摘要

A'Welches Dam' sounds like a colloquial expression implying a complete lack of interest -like a 'tinker's cuss' (or various less polite expressions). It is, in reality, the name of a lock connecting the Old Bedford River to the Forty Foot Drain in the Middle Level Fenlands. But when you look at the derelict, overgrown chamber, the dry channel below it, the crude steel-piled dam above it, and remind yourself it's not only legally navigable but was in use a decade ago you can't help thinking that's quite apt. Who, indeed, gives a Welches Dam about it? Well, it's not obvious the navigation authority the Environment Agency is too concerned about its (illegal) state. But one group that cares very much is an organisation called Project Hereward.