MOUNTING debris beneath Llechryd Bridge was cleared at the weekend after pressure was brought on environmental watchdogs Natural Resources Wales.

The news will have come as a relief to nearby residents who had called for an array of logs, branches and trees to be removed ahead of anticipated heavy rainfall later this month.

They feared that failure to do so would heighten the possibility of the River Teifi bursting its banks and wreak further havoc at what has long been a flooding blackspot.

Back in June, local builder Guy Croft reported that a build-up of debris was almost completely blocking the centre arch of the bridge.

“At the moment the river is at the lowest it’s been for many years - you could almost walk across it in a pair of wellies,” he said.

“Why on earth isn’t anything being done about removing these trees now while it is possible to get to them with machinery and chainsaws?”

Ceredigion County Council initially pledged to carry out the work to help avoid a possible repeat of a major flooding incident similar to the chaos caused by Storm Dennis in 2020.

And, in a subsequent statement, County Hall accused NRW of a ‘failure’ to ensure the removal of logs and trees from the Grade II-listed monument which was completely submerged by floodwaters two years ago.

“(We) are disappointed at NRW’s failure to fulfil their responsibilities in reducing the flood risk along the Teifi by arranging the removal of (debris) and also failing to remind landowners along the river’s edge of their responsibilities to maintain trees and hedges,” the statement ran.

However, last week it emerged that following ‘ongoing dialogue’ with the local authority, NRW had agreed to commission a contractor to undertake the work.

Local councillor Amanda Edwards had earlier said the need to protect residents from further flooding was ‘paramount’.

“We do not want them having to face the backlash of more flooding,” she said, ahead of this weekend’s clearance operation.

“If this work is carried then the risk to properties will obviously be lesser.”

A statement from NRW said: "We can confirm that contractors working on behalf of NRW removed debris blocking Llechryd Bridge on Sunday 2 October."