Some of the lock staff you meet this summer will be local volunteers.
BBC South Today ran a piece on Thursday evening about the Environment Agency’s call for volunteer lock keepers on the Thames.
Seasonal help is not unknown but now the plan is not to pay those coming forward.
This does seem to be a foolish money saving exercise which does nothing to give us confidence about the future of lock and weir keepers.
Waterways operation manager Andrew Graham describes this as an exciting opportunity but the uniformed job needs training and a weekly commitment.
The Enviroment Agency’s chief executive is paid £195,000 a year.