It may be very useful for the houseboat residents to have these high-tech utility posts, but surely they could have designed something slightly less obtrusive and less like a petrol pump in appearance? This stretch of canal at Hythe Bridge Moorings USED TO BE one of Oxford's best tourist attractions, with scores of people strolling along the towpath to see the quirky boat gardens, and the glorious view of St Barnabas Church with the boatyard in front.

But brutish British Waterways (now renamed) sold the boatyard to developer sharks, to raise money to further destroy this paradise with a monstrous river barrage and ugly landing pontoon. And these utility posts must be the icing on their cake, destroying forever the former quaintness of this wonderful little path.