DEBRIS that had piled up against a bridge, partially blocking a river, has been cleared.

Workers from the Environment Agency and Durham County Council spent Tuesday and Wednesday (January 19-20) removing branches, logs and other rubbish from the River Wear at Elvet Bridge, Durham City.

It was winched from the river and stacked at the riverside before being cut up with a chainsaw and taken away.

The debris had washed downstream following heavy rain in the past few weeks.

Andy Foster, from the Environment Agency, said: “We regularly check and maintain our rivers for blockages and will remove anything which is deemed a potential flood risk.”

Similar work has recently been carried out at Spring Gardens dam in West Auckland, Leven Bridge and Lustrum Beck in Stockton and Mitford dam in Morpeth.