Reading West MP, Martin Salter, will be meeting next month with lock-keepers and the Environment Agency (E.A.) to ask the E.A to reconsider their decision to dispose, by sale or letting, of 22 lock-keepers’ homes along the Thames, including the residence at Blake’s Lock in Reading.

Mr Salter has signed House of Commons Early Day Motion 1587 Lock-Keepers’ Residences which states:

That this House is concerned about the Environment Agency’s proposal to dispose by sale or letting of 22 lock-keepers’ homes along the Thames; recognises the importance of lock-keepers being resident in homes adjacent to locks to maintain safety on the river; fears for the welfare of the lock-keepers and their families; and calls on the Government to ask the Environment Agency to re-examine its decision so as to protect this unique part of the nation’s river heritage and the tradition of lock-keepers living at the site of locks.

Mr Salter said:

“I believe that the Environment Agency is making a fundamental mistake in flogging off 10 lock houses and decommissioning another 12.  These are public assets and should remain in the public sector.  The existence of an on-site presence at weirs and locks prevents vandalism and enhances safety.  The River Thames is a fabulous asset but also a dangerous place, particularly at times of flooding.  These changes are wrong and must be stopped.”

The meeting will be taking place in the House of Commons on Monday 2^nd June, and was organised by Philip Hammond, MP for Runnymede and Weybridge.