Following the loss of the swimmers' marker buoys, my comment about Brighton and Hove City Council knowing nothing about the sea has sadly been confirmed by the council spokeswoman saying "there is no question of the mooring ropes not being strong enough" (The Argus, June 15).

This entirely misses the point. It is standard good marine practice to secure buoys to the sea bed with chain.

The heavy chain weighs down the buoy so it is not snatched and tugged by every passing wave but rises and falls steadily as the water goes up and down. However strong a rope is, the constant pulling of the waves strains the attachment and it will eventually break off, which is what has been happening.

If someone from the council is willing to swim out with me when the sea is choppy, to look for himself, I would be happy to show him what the problem is. He will then realise why the buoys need to be secured with chains and not rope, as they were until last year.

-Henry Law, Queen's Gardens, Brighton