River Thames: Number of summer lock keepers slashed

Iffley Lock in Oxford is one of many locks along the River Thames in the county

The number of seasonal lock keepers on the River Thames has been slashed by over half.

The Environment Agency (EA) are bringing in ten extra members of staff to man the locks in Oxfordshire and Berkshire, compared the previous 24.

One company that offers river cruising and boat hire on the Thames said the change was a "backwards step".

But the EA said it did not have specific funding for the roles, and it was not part of its statutory duties.

Jonathan Hobbs is the managing director of Hobbs of Henley, which offers river cruising and boat hire on the Thames.

He said: "Filling a lock efficiently and quickly is important for the customers enjoyment of pleasure boating, and for health and safety as well."

"If a lock keeper has a holiday, sometimes those locks can go unmanned and then people have paid money to rent a boat, and they've spent a lot of their time queueing to go through it, and then queueing to come back through it to get back to Henley - so it negates their positive experience of the Thames, and they're more likely not to come back."

He added: "We've been investing heavily in new boats. That results in increased licence fees for the Environment Agency, so increased revenue, but we're feeling a little betrayed by the lack of service given back."

In the past, the EA has used 24 temporary lock keepers between May and October to deal with the increased traffic on the waterways during summer.

They work alongside a team of volunteer assistants to make sure the traffic can flow smoothly.

Eight of the ten temporary lock keepers will work in Oxfordshire, with the other two in Berkshire.

In a statement, the EA said: "Over the years we've employed around 24 seasonal lock keepers during the annual boating season on temporary contracts through an employment agency. We have never had specific funding for these posts and providing these additional personnel for assisted passage at locks is not part of the Environment Agency's statutory duties."

It added: "We have conducted a review of where our funds will be best spent, which we will share with our stakeholders shortly. We have worked with our lock keepers throughout this process and we will continue to work with them and support them whilst implementing these changes."

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