Dave
Ferguson - 23-Apr-2008 - The Environment
Agency will sell ten of its 57 lockhouses,
it announced today.
Of those remaining,
a further 12 will be rented out after they
were identified as not being needed for
operational reasons.
The plans, which have
been drawn up as part of an efficiency review,
will reduce the amount of property the Environment
Agency has to maintain.
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 lockhouses. 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.
But the fact is that we already manage the
river with a significant number of our lock
staff not living in Environment Agency properties.
“Lockkeeper’s houses
were originally provided when working hours
were longer and before telephones and cars
made communications and getting around as
easy as they are today.
“But, as a public organisation,
we need to justify the operational need
for every property we wish to keep.
“We will still man locks
to assist boaters with passage through the
locks. In fact, we plan to have more staff
on duty during the busiest times throughout
the summer.
“And there will be no
impact on how we manage flood risk - we
will continue to operate weirs and manage
water levels throughout the year as normal.”
In the past year the
Environment Agency has spent £6.5m
on improving the Thames as a waterway for
people to enjoy. This includes increasing
the number of automated locks and refurbishment
and enhancement projects at various locks
along the Thames.
Lockhouse residents
affected by the changes have been informed
of these plans, and the Environment Agency
will work with them over the coming months
and years to ensure that they have another
suitable house to go to.
Eileen McKeever added:
“We are aware that this is a very emotive
issue for lockkeepers and their families,
but we have been running the river in the
same manner for 40 or 50 years, and we need
to modernise our working practices. We have
kept staff well informed of the work in
progress and will continue to do so to help
them through these changes.
The lockhouses identified
as suitable for sale are:
• Laburnam Rd, Oxford *
• Boulters Gardens, Maidenhead *
• Ray Mill Rd, Maidenhead *
• Bell Weir, Staines
• Penton Hook, Staines *
• Thames Side, Chertsey *
• Garth House, Rushey * +
• Sunbury No. 2 *
• Hailey Wood Farm Cottage *
• Glade Rd, Marlow *
To retain and rent to
3rd parties:
• Chalmore Hole Cottage,
Wallingford *
• Buscot *
• Cookham
• Godstow
• Days Lock, Little Wittenham*
• Shifford
• Sandford, Oxford
• Culham
• Sunbury No. 1
• St. Johns No.2 +
• Blakes, Reading +
• Old Windsor +
* Not on the lockside
+ second of two houses on site.
+ More
Environment Agency reels
in more rod licence cheats
Michelle Dolphin - 22-Apr-2008
- On Friday 18 April 2008, at Welshpool
Magistrates Court, fishing without a valid
rod licence cost five cheating anglers a
total of £670.00.
With water bailiffs
on the look out and prosecutions like this
on the increase, this case should send a
clear message to anglers that a day’s fishing
in the Midlands without an Environment Agency
rod licence could prove very expensive indeed.
The maximum possible fine for fishing without
a licence is £2,500.
Andrew Laird, aged 22
years, of Lon Afallen, Trehafren, Newtown
was fined £150, ordered to pay £75
in costs and a victim surcharge of £15.
He was convicted of a charge of fishing
without a licence. The offence was committed
at Glanhafren on the River Severn on 14
October 2007.
Kenneth Aspinall, aged
20 years, of Lon Eithen, Trahafren, Newtown
was fined £100, ordered to pay £75
in costs and a victim surcharge of £15.
He was convicted of a charge of fishing
without a licence. The offence was committed
at Glanhafren on the River Severn, on 14
October 2007.
Steven Lewis, aged 29
years, of Kerry Street, Montgomery was fined
£150, ordered to pay £75 in
costs and a victim surcharge of £15.
He was convicted of a charge of fishing
without a licence. The offence was committed
at Blue Bell Park, Caereinion, on 9 September
2007.
Speaking after the cases,
Midlands Strategic Specialist, Martin Cooper,
said: “Anglers who fish without a valid
rod licence need to be aware that our Water
Bailiffs are out and about checking rod
licenses. As today’s result demonstrates,
sooner or later they are going to get caught
and we won’t hesitate to prosecute.
“Not only does a prosecution
prove costly, with fines of up to £2,500,
it also marks an angler out as someone who
cheats his fellow anglers. When you buy
a rod licence, the money is used to help
fund our work managing fisheries and improving
the sport for everyone, work such as re-stocking
rivers after pollution incidents. So if
you don’t buy a rod licence, you reduce
the pleasure of the sport for everyone else.
“The message from this
court case is loud and clear – if you haven’t
got a valid rod licence, get one today.”
