VOLUNTEER lock keepers are being sought out by the Environment Agency along the River Thames.

Working alongside professional weir keepers, the helpers will aid boats navigating the locks and gain real hands-on experience in operating the locks .

Dorothy Eggleton, 68, who volunteers at Hambleden lock between Henley and Marlow, said: "It’s such a varied job at the lock; on one of my days in the summer I weeded the steps that the Queen would walk up when the royal yacht passed through Hambleden."

Email thames.volunteers@environment-agency.gov.uk or call 01491 828360.