VETERAN lock keeper Bob Preston has been given an award recognising the outstanding help he gives holidaymakers navigating the Kennet and Avon Canal.

The prestigious lock keeper of the year award was presented to him yesterday by members of the hotel boat section of the Association of Pleasure Craft Operators.

The 60-year-old accepted it on behalf of the rest of the Canal & River Trust lock keeping team at Caen Hill Locks.

Mr Preston, who lives by the Devizes Marina, has been working on the Kennet & Avon Canal for more than 40 years and has been a lock keeper on the Caen Hill Flight since 1991.

He said: “It was a bit of a surprise, but nice to get some recognition as it’s a great job to have and you get to meet people from all over the world.

“The canal wouldn’t be the same without the boats on it, and we’ve got a great team of staff and volunteers here at Caen Hill who make the journeys as easy as possible.”

The hotel boat Wessex Rose also made an appearance with owners David and Karen Binney of The Wessex Rose Hotel Boat Co Ltd presenting the award.

Mr Binney, whose company take holiday makers on four star cruises along the Caen Hill locks, said: “Bob and his team are very proud of the canal engineering and are great ambassadors for the area.

“They are also extremely knowledgeable about the wildlife that lives around the locks and the unusual side ponds that supply water to the flight.”

The APCO Lock Keeper of the Year award was founded in 1997 and recipients for the award are nominated and voted for by APCO hotel boat operators.

This is to recognise the support they receive as they take holidaymakers around Britain with Mr Preston beating off competition from across the country.