A river is flowing better than it has for a quarter of a century after a major restoration but the next stage of works will be “really critical”, according to a parish councillor.
Water levels in the River Deben in Suffolk dropped by more than a metre after heavy rain caused a weir structure at Ufford, near Woodbridge, to fall away and a bridge to partially collapse.
While they are still to be fixed, water in the river is again running freely after a multi-agency and community effort saw vital excavations and tree removal take place.
Councillor David Finley, river warden at Ufford Parish Council, said it was a “really exciting moment to actually see the water flowing” again.
“This section of the river used to be cleaned out every five to 10 years, so it’s not been like this for 25 years,” he said.
“Now, you can see gravel bits and silt bits, and so it’s actually creating a really potentially dynamic river.”
