Plans to reduce lock houses along the Thames

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.

Make sure we use public money wisely

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 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 – we will not be making people homeless. But the fact is that we already manage the river with a significant number of our lock staff not living in Environment Agency property.

"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.

Justify the operational need for every property we keep

"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."

A waterway for people to enjoy

In the past year, the Environment Agency has spent £6.5m on improving the River 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 are moved into suitable accommodation when it becomes available.

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."