The last three mechanised locks on the Thames that require manual operation outside keepers' hours are to be equipped with boater-operated electric power as part of this winter's programme of engineering works.rnWhen the locks below Oxford were converted to hydraulic operation around the 1960s, the provision for out-of-hours operation (necessary as there is a right of navigation on the river) involved a great many turns of a handle to operate the gates and paddles manually. This is still the case between 10pm and early morning, but in recent years the Environment Agency has been gradually installing reduced-power boater-operated controls for use in the evenings afterrnthe keeper goes off duty. Work at Iffley, Whitchurch and Marlow (pictured) will complete the programme in January 2010.
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