A trade union has accused the Environment Agency of making ‘dangerous’ staff cuts after a lock keeper in Marlow saved the life of an injured man who would otherwise have been swept over the town’s weir.

Matt Rooke, resident lock and weir keeper at Marlow Lock, spotted an injured man in the Thames on Monday, April 29.

He acted quickly and rescued the man, whose boat had sunk after it became damaged, from the water.

Mr Rooke only just stopped the boater from being swept over the weir, saving his life in the act.

The GMB trade union, which has over 560,000 members across the UK and covers a range of industrial sectors, has pointed to the incident as showing the importance of high staffing levels at locks on the Thames.

The union has accused the Environment Agency of acting rashly in reducing staff numbers on several locks on the river with little notice and “no consultation”.

It has also suggested that some sites, including Temple Lock, are now at risk of being unstaffed up to 75 per cent of the time.

Kevin Brandstatter, GMB National Officer, said: “This incident clearly shows why locks on the River Thames need properly trained full-time staff on duty at all times.

“If Mr Rooke had not been on duty that day, the boater would have almost certainly died.

“The appalling weather and almost continuous rain during the past few months mean weir keepers are vital to manage the passage of water and reduce flood risk.

“These staff changes have been made with no notice and without speaking to the people who know – the lock keepers.

“GMB believes the Environment Agency has failed in its legal obligations under the Health and Safety Act to undertake proper risk assessment at each lock affected.

“We are calling for the agency to abandon these ill-thought-out and dangerous cuts.”

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In March, data obtained by the Liberal Democrat party indicated that the EA had faced a real term cut each year between 2017 and 2019 and again between 2021 and 2023.

Lib Dems spokesperson Tim Farron MP blamed “complaints of low pay, understaffing and low morale” for the numbers.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “We have full-time lock keepers on all 45 of our River Thames locks who play a vital role in supporting all river users and members of the public all year round.

“To provide additional support during the busy boating season, we have recruited an additional 10 staff to help between May and October 31.

“We will also continue to take on our wonderful volunteer assistants, who provide invaluable support to both the public and our lock keepers.

“We aim to provide coverage across our locks during the boating season, particularly at our busiest locks. If a lock keeper is not available and a boater requires help, they can call our 0800 807060 hotline, so that we can send nearby staff to assist. This number is displayed at all our Thames locks.

“If you are interested in supporting our work on the River Thames and would like to become a volunteer assistant, please speak to any lock keeper on duty and ask for an application form.”