Lock keepers to lose homes

5:37pm Tuesday 6th May 2008

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Thames lock keepers and their families face losing their homes after the Environment Agency announced plans to sell off or rent out the buildings.

The agency plans to sell 10 of its Thames lock houses, including those at Bell Weir and Penton Hook in Staines, one lock building in Sunbury and Thames Side, Chertsey.

A second Sunbury lock house is expected to be rented out commercially.

The Unison union says families face losing their homes because of the agency's cost saving plan.

The union's Jeanette Roe said lock and weir keepers were among the lowest paid staff in the agency.

"Throwing families out of their homes is a disgrace," Ms Roe said.

"Our members are rightly very angry. Not only is the Agency planning to cut jobs but workers will be made to leave their family homes all in the name of so called efficiency savings.

"Our members do a vital job, ensuring the safety of the public who enjoy our waterways and the smooth flow of river traffic.

"They play an important part in the Agency's flood defence duties through their operation of the Thames weirs that regulate the flow of the river. In these times of climate change this role is becoming increasingly important.

"A lock keepers salary is only around £16,000 a year, not enough to pay a mortgage or rent property on the open market. The lock-house is an essential part of their salary package."

Eileen McKeever, Thames Waterways manager at the Environment Agency said: "We need to operate the river as efficiently as we can, making sure we are using public money wisely.

"We haven't modernised this aspect of our work for a very long time and as part of a wider review we have looked at whether we need all 57 lock houses.

"The conclusion is that we do not need to keep them all.

"We will not be moving anyone out of a house until they have another suitable house to go to and we will not be making people homeless or redundant."