LONG-AWAITED works to improve Halstead’s waterways are going ahead after months of delays.

The River Colne through Halstead has long been considered an eyesore by residents.

Stretches of the river, particularly at Townsford Mill and along the Causeway have become overgrown with vegetation while the water level has dropped considerably.

The Environment Agency has been planning to carry out some improvements to the river for a number of months.

Plans formed in 2019 set out a goal to have the river cleaned up by April 2020.

However, following flooding in December, the works were postponed.

Delay were made even worse just a few months later with the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Environment Agency announced that due to the virus, plans to work on the river had been shelved for the foreseeable future.

However, in recent months, the Halstead River Improvement Group announced they had been in talks with the Environment Agency and now some of the work to improve the river is taking place.

Residents have spotted contractors working in the river with equipment like diggers being brought in on Monday.

The Environment Agency say they are improving the river by cutting away vegetation and digging up debris.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “We are carrying out work to improve the appearance of the River Colne through Halstead around Townsford mill.

“So far we have carried out tree pruning and vegetation management in the channel.

“We’ll also be removing debris from the river bed and reusing stone from the duck platform to help define the natural features that have developed in the channel.

“We hope these works go some way to achieving the aims of the local group in improving the line of sight to the Mill from the bridge and the general appearance and ecological value of the river.”

The agency are using contractors Ground Control Ltd to carry out the work and say they’re in consultation with Halstead Town Council and Braintree District Council.

The Environment Agency added they aim to finish current work on the river by the end of the month.