FLOOD-HIT residents fear they will be put at greater risk if plans to force Oxfordshire lock-keepers from their homes go ahead.

Almost half the lock-houses in Oxfordshire are to be sold off or rented out, the Environment Agency announced this week.

But residents are rallying to the support of lock-keepers and their families, who they say were among the heroes of last year's devastating floods. And they have warned removing their "protectors" could have calamitous consequences at times of flooding.

A total of ten lock-houses out of 22 in the region are to go under an EA plan, designed to bring in much-needed cash. The publication of the hit list has now raised fears of lock-keepers and their families facing real hardship, as they are forced to rent, losing the main benefit of a low-paid job.

Lock-houses at Godstow, Culham, Wallingford, Sandford-on-Thames, Little Wittenham, Buscot, Shifford and St Johns, near Lechlade, are to be rented.

The two houses to be sold are in Laburnum Road, Botley, and Garth House at Rushney, near Faringdon.

Richard Thurston, of the Oxford Flood Alliance, said: "Our great concern is how the EA is going to monitor and regulate the water going through these locks.

"The fear is what happens if all the roads and meadows around the locks and weirs are flooded. How are you going to parachute lock-keepers into places like Godstow?

"I personally think it is a disaster for the EA. If they want to promote tourism and traffic on the river, it represents a massive own goal."

Mr Thurston recently received an award from Prime Minister Gordon Brown, along with Osney lock-keeper Ray Riches, for their contribution to the community during the floods.

The lock-keeper's decision to open the lock head gates, allowing hundreds of gallons of flood water to pour through, helped bring water levels down at a crucial moment last July.

Another resident said: "The danger of flooding is bound to increase if lock-keepers are not living on site. If the river level rises quickly, access to weirs could be dangerous or simply impossible."

The EA says its plans to sell the houses within five years is part of its national funding strategy. Lock staff currently occupy all the Oxfordshire properties rent-free.

Lock-keepers responded angrily at a union meeting in Reading. One said: "The morale of local lock-keepers is very low. Many people would be unable to stay in the job if they had to pay commercial rent."

Eileen McKeever, EA Thames Waterways Manager, said: "We need to operate the river as efficiently as we can, making sure we are using public money wisely. As part of wider review, we have looked at whether we need all 57 lock-houses. 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 we already manage the river with a significant number of our lock staff not living in EA property.

"Lock-keepers' houses were originally provided when working hours were longer and before telephones and cars made communications and getting around easy."