LOW river levels are hampering efforts to clear away a dam of dead wood - but workmen say they will finish the job.

A heavy-duty tractor with a winch has already partially freed a blockage at the River Teme at Powick, near Worcester.

The river bed became choked up with driftwood as pressure mounted to clear the blockage to reduce the flood risk before the winter.

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An Environment Agency official has confirmed there is still more work to do which will be completed as soon as possible.

Barry Killner, a response lead for the Environment Agency, has shed light on some of the logistical challenges posed both by lower water levels and restrictions on the work they are able to perform near the grade I listed bridge. 

Powick Old Bridge dates back to the Middle Ages and was the site of the first major skirmish of the English Civil War, the Battle of Powick Bridge on September 23, 1642.

Mr Killner said: "The field team cleared the main blockage to open up the arches on the bridge and the main flows.

"Due to other workloads they have stopped works on site and are looking to return in a week's time to remove the section up against the river bank.

"Low flows in the Teme are not helping as the material is small and in deeper water the majority would simply wash downstream.

"The larger trees are easy to winch from the River but the small debris not so. Access and it being a historical site restrict what we are able to do here."

He described the material on the bed as 'heavily compacted' which made it harder to remove.

We have previously reported how a team from the Environment Agency worked with a tractor and winch and a boat crew to clear the obstruction. 

The colossal mounds of driftwood, including whole tree trunks, had been choking up the River Teme near the medieval Powick Old Bridge for 'around five months', according to one fisherman.

However, work to clear the island of rotting wood was launched in earnest on Tuesday and continued apace on Wednesday of last week.

The Environment Agency said the work 'will improve the river’s flow and reduce flood risk for nearby communities for the autumn and winter months ahead'.