Lockkeepers won't lose jobs say EA

Rumours about job losses from the sale of lock houses have been quashed by the Environment Agency.

The organisation announced two weeks ago that it would sell 10 of its 57 lock houses on the Thames, and rent out a further 12, saying the buildings were no longer needed for operational reasons. Properties affected include Boulters Lock in Maidenhead and locks in Cookham and Marlow.

Eileen McKeever, Thames Waterways manager, said: "Speculation about jobs being lost as a result of these changes to the lockhouses is just not true, and I want to categorically state that we will not be making people redundant."

The EA states that lockkeepers will run the sites in working hours and that workers will not be made homeless, with suitable houses for them to go to being found.