A parish councilor says the River Deben is flowing better than it has in 25 years following major repair work, but the next phase of the project will be “hugely important”.
River levels on the River Deben in Suffolk have dropped by more than a metre after heavy rainfall caused a weir structure at Ufford, near Woodbridge, to collapse. The incident also led to the partial collapse of a bridge.
Although the damaged structures have not yet been repaired, extensive excavation and tree removal carried out by several agencies and local communities has helped restore the river’s natural flow.
Councillor David Finley, the river warden for Ufford Parish Council, said: “It was a really exciting moment to actually see water flowing again.”
“This section of the River Deben used to be cleaned every five to 10 years, so it hasn’t looked like this for 25 years,” he said.
“Now you can see gravel and silt moving through the river, which is helping to create a potentially dynamic natural watercourse.”
Source: www.bbc.co.uk