What are lock keepers actually DOING at the moment?

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LimL

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Was discussing with a fellow boater on the way up from Windsor to Cookham today.
And before anyone jumps on me, I am a great fan of lockies and find them almost universally friendly and helpful at all times...so... what are they actually doing then?

Probably I expected to see them behind the Heras fencing, painting bollards, cutting back overhanging weeds in lock laybys, cleaning signs, planting flowers, cutting grass, polishing pedestals with anti-viral fluids (last one was an attempt at a joke). And of course regular weir work - must be very onerous with river conditions as they are?

But absolutely nothing seems to be happening.

I think we should be told...
 
It seems a little counterproductive for lock keepers to not be active. In the future there will have to be more cuts to public services.

If it becomes obvious that the keepers are surplus in the sense that a busy weekend finds boaters able to deal with locks themselves then I would have thought there might be a danger of some keepers being removed by the accountants polishing the seats in the HQ.

I hope not but it seems possible.
 
From the photos of Romney Lock that I've seen on twitter I'd say that the lockies have been maintaining their sites plus the odd bit of weir work since the flows reduced. I can't believe that the house proud lockies say at the likes of Shepperton, Penton Hook, Old Windsor & Bray plus many more have been idle and allowed nature to take over.

Providing assisted passage is not the priority, it's water level management and site maintenance. Playing with boats is the bonus part of the job.
 
Old Crusty said:
From the photos of Romney Lock that I've seen on twitter I'd say that the lockies have been maintaining their sites plus the odd bit of weir work since the flows reduced. I can't believe that the house proud lockies say at the likes of Shepperton, Penton Hook, Old Windsor & Bray plus many more have been idle and allowed nature to take over.

Providing assisted passage is not the priority, it's water level management and site maintenance. Playing with boats is the bonus part of the job.
Click to expand...

Not a lot of people know that....
 
Romney is not too bad but some of the locks are really not being properly looked after.

I remember when there were beautiful gardens and competitions.

This seems to have disappeared at the majority of sites. Sadly.
 
I seem to remember that the sponsored flower gardens were stopped by 'someone at Reading' but never discovered.
I'm sure folks were attracted to the River just to see the lock gardens.
It's a shame - some of them were truly magnificent.
 
TrueBlue said:
I seem to remember that the sponsored flower gardens were stopped by 'someone at Reading' but never discovered.
I'm sure folks were attracted to the River just to see the lock gardens.
It's a shame - some of them were truly magnificent.
Click to expand...

Squires Garden Centres used to sponsor the lock garden summer bedding. Not sure what the current situation is.
 
The very nice keeper at *Censored* (just in case I get him into trouble ?) stopped mowing his grass to work the lock for us today, he said he wasn’t supposed to (I didn’t ask why) but it was difficult for him to ignore us.
 
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