FALLEN trees and debris has been cleared from the River Tees to reduce the risk of flooding in the market town of Yarm.
The large pile of debris was removed by Environment Agency (EA) staff, who winched it from the water near the railway bridge north of the town and stacked at the riverside before being cut up with a chainsaw and removed.
Andy Foster, from the EA's field operations team, said: “We regularly check and maintain our rivers for blockages and will remove anything which is deemed a potential flood risk.
“A large amount of trees and debris had collected against the bridge. Removing it is important, as if it’s allowed to collect then it would eventually cause problems for the flood defences which surround the town.
“We used a floating platform to reach and remove the build-up, and then it was cut up on the riverside and removed.”
The Agency has carried out similar work over recent weeks at the historic Elvet Bridge in Durham, Lustrum Beck in Stockton, Spring Gardens dam in West Auckland and Leven Bridge in Stockton.
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