Campaigners have won their battle to save riverside lock keepers' houses from being sold or rented out to private tenants.

In April the Environment Agency announced plans to move keepers out of 22 houses across the country, among them sites in Cookham and Marlow.

Lock keepers launched a campaign with the support of Amersham and Chesham MP Cheryl Gillan, Reading MP Martin Salter and the union UNISON.

Now the Environment Agency has announced that all but five of the houses will be retained with a full time resident keeper.

Kim Benge, wife of Adam, keeper at Cookham Lock, has been a key campaigner.

She said she had received support from politicians and media: “I'm delighted – we're chuffed to bits.

“I know we've been relentless but what has happened is that better people than us have looked at the proposals and looked at the figures and seen it was not a viable thing to do.”

However, the lock keeper's house in Glad Road, Marlow will still be going up for sale.

Though the keeper will be given a new placement, Mrs Benge said she was worried he may have to uproot his family to move to a new area.

She said: “If (the Environment Agency) can just do right by the last five lock keepers we'll be happy. It's their families and their lives.”

Dave Ferguson, press officer for the Environment Agency said: “We will discuss that with staff.

“It's a matter for the member of staff involved.”

Howard Davidson, regional director of the Environment Agency, said: “We have listened carefully to staff, MPs, river users and those who live in the flood plain, who all raised objections to our original proposals announced earlier this year.

“We have carried out a full review into this, and issues such as flood risk and our response to incidents outside normal working hours have been key to our considerations.

“As a result, we have reached the conclusion that keeping a resident lock and weir keeper at each of our 45 sites along the Thames is the sensible way forward to enhance how we manage the river as safely and efficiently as possible.”