Ordnance Survey – Great Britain's national mapping agency

River Thames set for £5.8 million upgrade

02 October 2007

The River Thames will get a £5.8 million upgrade this year, with 18 locks benefiting from major repairs and improvements. The Environment Agency® will be investing in better mooring facilities, new lock gates, improved walkways and refurbished locks from St John’s Lock in Gloucestershire to Teddington, from 1 November 2007 to the end of February 2008. Other improvements include out-of-hour’s public power installation at four more locks.

The largest project is at Teddington, where £850 000 is being spent on major repairs to the lock island, including a new safer tail lay-by. The work will include stabilisation of banks that are collapsing because of erosion exacerbated by this summer’s exceptionally high rainfall and constant high flows. Other projects include a £500 000 refurbishment of Pinkhill Lock, where the existing crumbling face of the lock walls will be removed and new reinforced lock walls created.

As part of the Environment Agency’s drive to provide more facilities for boaters, out-of-hours public power will be installed at Godstow, Clifton, Mapledurham and Marsh locks to allow boaters to open gates automatically when the lock keeper is off duty. For unpowered boaters, a new and safer canoe portage will be built at Sonning Lock.

To help boaters plan their journeys on the river while the winter works are underway, the Environment Agency has produced a handy map, detailing the work taking place and how long locks will be closed. The map will be regularly updated during the winter and the latest version can be downloaded from www.visitthames.co.uk/winterworks.

Environment Agency is a registered trademark of The Environment Agency.

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