ESSENTIAL work to the Horrabridge Weir and gauging station, which was hit by a few problems, is now complete.

The £200,000 project, which was started in June, will secure its long term future as a valuable gauging site used for both flood warning and water quality.

'The repairs are designed to extend the working life of the weir, which is the only flood warning gauge on the River Walkham,' said Thom Buxton-Smith from the Environment Agency. 'Pools were added to aid passage of fish and an eel and elver pass have been installed.' 

The work included replacing the damaged dividing wall, repairs to the weir crest and localised repairs.

The original deadline was late autumn but this was put back when it became clear that the face of the weir was so badly damaged it might eventually break away and spoil the repairs which were the reason for intervention in the first place.

It also emerged that the shoaling above the weir was interfering with the planned flow into the new fish pass.

The engineers in charge had to go back for approval to stay on and do more weir repairs, plus some dredging upstream to finish the job.

Meanwhile autumn rain washed away some of the temporary pier which was set up for access to the fish pass and it became necessary to bring in a crane to swing men and materials to and fro.

The biggest part of the construction project, and the one most likely to be obvious to river watchers, was the creation of a series of stepped tanks below the weir on the right-hand side (looking downstream) designed give fish an easier climb than the old stairway.

The new 'traverse fish easement' is meant to help the migrations of sea trout and salmon by giving them steps of no more than a foot or two to jump on the way to the top of the weir, with recovery pools in between.

A separate eel pass was also installed as there is international concern over a dramatic decline in eel numbers.

The EA will return to the site in March to finalise repairing the grass in the compound area.