Work on the site kick started earlier this month and will extend the life of the lock for another 30 years at least. The project is part of a £3m programme of capital works running from August 2011 to March 2012.
Paul Power, Environment Agency Waterways Engineer for the River Thames, said:
“The Environment Agency has more than 2,000 assets along the River Thames which we have a legal duty to maintain and keep to good and safe working order. This is always our priority when allocating the funding we receive from Government for our work on the Thames, ensuring that many thousands of people can navigate this great river with peace of mind.
The busy Chertsey Lock sits to the West of Walton-on-Thames and East of Staines and has proven to be very popular amongst river users. Over the years, unavoidable wear and tear from boats and the river itself has caused the condition of the lock chamber to deteriorate. Work is now being carried out to restore it back to its former glory.
To carry out the structural repairs, the lock has been fully drained in order to gain access to the lock walls. Once drained, Environment Agency contractors will apply new concrete on the walls by ‘guniting’ – a high pressure method of spraying on concrete to vertical and horizontal surfaces.
The restoration of the lock is a lengthy process, we have already carried out a fish rescue to minimise our impact on the environment. 150 fish have been caught and released to the river outside of the lock chamber in preparation for the engineering works to begin.
This is a highly unusual opportunity to see a lock out of operation and fully drained down to the bottom. A drained lock is a rare sight, and these works serves as a reminder to us on how much we rely on the smooth operation of locks to keep the River Thames running on a day to day basis.”
The Environment Agency used a fisheries consultant to carry out the fish rescue. After draining the lock chamber, a trawl net was pulled throughout the length of the lock to catch the fish. Remaining fish who escaped the net were stunned using electro-fishing tools and safely returned to the river.
Chertsey Lock image © Peter Wasp and licenced for reuse.
