YORK exists because of its rivers, but there is a widely-held belief that we do not make the most of them.

Their role as the motorways of the industrial age dissolved years ago. Yet the potential of the riverside to boost our modern day leisure and tourist industries has not been exploited.

Gradually, however, that is changing. Last autumn we reported how a York council scrutiny board was examining ways to make better use of the rivers. And this newspaper has teamed up with Yorkshire Water to offer community groups the chance to win cash for dreaming up river improvements.

The latest idea is the boldest yet: a Festival Of Rivers. Attention tends to focus on the Ouse and the Foss only when they flood.

A festival would remind residents and visitors of the power and glory of York's waterways, while boosting the cultural stock of the city. Current thinking at its best.

Updated: 11:31 Monday, January 13, 2003