RIVER staff who helped residents battle the recent floods say a question mark is hanging over their futures.

Environment Agency staff and lock-keepers won the gratitude of thousands of Oxfordshire residents at the height of the crisis.

But there are now widespread fears that their jobs could be contracted out as part of a three-year savings programme.

Many of the workers involved delivered sandbags and helped in the operations to pump water from properties.

The Environment Agency is understood to be reviewing the jobs of craftsmen, fitters, tug crews and staff involved in river maintenance work, which is viewed by many as crucial to reducing the risk of future flooding.

It is now feared that even lock-keepers, regarded in areas like Osney and Iffley as the 'heroes of the great flood', may not escape the impact of the cost cuts.

While no redundancies are planned, the number of lock-keepers could still be allowed to fall through a policy of natural wastage.

Residents reacted with horror to news that local jobs could be outsourced.

Andrew Shacknove, of Mill Lane, Iffley, said: "It is distressing to learn that the EA is seriously considering out-sourcing many of the people who actually work on and know about our rivers.

"The service they are providing is not like employees to a call centre or construction site. Their knowledge and commitment are key parts of flood protection.

"Bring in outsiders and local knowledge will be lost. Hire the same people on short-term contracts with lower pay and, to speak plainly, more homes, businesses and colleges are likely to be at risk. Without the sustained efforts of various lock-keepers along the Thames and the tug crews keeping the weirs clear, more homes would have flooded and the damage upstream would have been worse.

"By repeatedly towing boats and other obstacles out of the weirs and improving adjustments to the weir gates, between two and four inches of further flooding was avoided. This involved not inconsiderable bravery by people."

Osney Island Residents' Association is to write to the EA to demand no cuts are made to the local lock-keeping budget.

The association's chairman, Richard Thurston, said: "We understand the agency is looking to reduce costs in the order of £14m. The review will look at staff who work at the depot here at Osney. But with the pressure the agency must be under, lock-keepers must be an obvious areas for cuts.

"The association will put the view that lock-keepers are critical to the safety of the river and managing river levels. Ray Riches, the lock-keeper here, did a magnificent job and is regarded as a local hero."

Dr Evan Harris, MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, said he had raised the issue of out-sourcing of EA staff in Oxford with the Government.

He said: "These are the people who are relied upon to provide pumps and other equipment during the floods. What I want to know is whether this is the result of a central Government directive to the agency."

He said there would be concern whether contracted-out staff could be relied upon to turn out in a future flooding emergency.

He added: "It could well turn out they they would be away doing jobs for other clients."

The Environment Agency confirmed that it was reviewing the number of manual staff it employed. But it insists there are no current plans to out-source the work of the people who actually work on the river.

Barry Russell, operations delivery manager for the Environment Agency's Thames region, said: "We are reviewing the skills and capabilities we need for some areas of our business. These are our staff who primarily work within our depots and are known as 'craft' employees. These employees work in a specialist area of the business. These specialist skills are difficult to maintain in changing circumstances."