I have been told that the Environment Agency is planning to sell off, or at least rent out, lock keepers cottages. This news is another example of 'cost
cutting at all costs', regardless of its effect, and has been instigated by those myopic bean counters whose sole objective is to reduce costs with no
thought to the effect.
Following a year when flooding was widespread in the Teme and Severn valleys, in the north of England and in Wales and Northern Ireland, the suggestion that it would be a good idea to remove the experienced eye of the local lock keeper on stretches of Thames is ludicrous. The EA's suggestion is apparently to rely on a small team of six staff, using computerised control from a centralised ops room, using telephones and cars (when the roads are flooded? Yeah, right!!!) to keep the locks and weirs running at their most efficient. That means several hours to get to the scene, instead of several minutes. By the way - lock keepers are regularly responsible for saving a number of members of the public who get into difficulty on weirs and locks, but that of course cannot be taken into account. I wonder what the thinking is behind that?
Make no mistake. In recent years we have seen extensive flooding due to extreme weather conditions in many parts of the UK. It will shortly be the turn of the Thames Valley. It is inevitable that we will suffer when so many of us live on the flood plain. Jubilee River or no, (now downgraded in its flow handling) there is insufficient capacity in our valley to accommodate the extreme rainfall that has been seen elsewhere.
So we need the MKI eyeball of the local lock keeper to ameliorate a flood threat... or would you prefer to trust a computer?
Shout for help before the water rises above your head!
Following a year when flooding was widespread in the Teme and Severn valleys, in the north of England and in Wales and Northern Ireland, the suggestion that it would be a good idea to remove the experienced eye of the local lock keeper on stretches of Thames is ludicrous. The EA's suggestion is apparently to rely on a small team of six staff, using computerised control from a centralised ops room, using telephones and cars (when the roads are flooded? Yeah, right!!!) to keep the locks and weirs running at their most efficient. That means several hours to get to the scene, instead of several minutes. By the way - lock keepers are regularly responsible for saving a number of members of the public who get into difficulty on weirs and locks, but that of course cannot be taken into account. I wonder what the thinking is behind that?
Make no mistake. In recent years we have seen extensive flooding due to extreme weather conditions in many parts of the UK. It will shortly be the turn of the Thames Valley. It is inevitable that we will suffer when so many of us live on the flood plain. Jubilee River or no, (now downgraded in its flow handling) there is insufficient capacity in our valley to accommodate the extreme rainfall that has been seen elsewhere.
So we need the MKI eyeball of the local lock keeper to ameliorate a flood threat... or would you prefer to trust a computer?
Shout for help before the water rises above your head!
