CONTRACTORS are due to move into Mill Marsh Park today (Tuesday, September 29) as work begins to tackle erosion along the river bank.

The Environment Agency has given Bovey Tracey Town Council permission to carry out limited stabilisation work on a 10-metre stretch at the top end of the park, where a large area of exposed beach has formed.

The contractors will fence off the working area while the work is carried out, with only natural materials, including brash and wooden stakes, permitted as part of the scheme.

The work must be completed before salmon spawning begins in October, with the aim of helping to stabilise the vulnerable section of river bank.

Pedestrian access to the river will be restored once the contractors have left the site.

The cost of the work will be met from existing council budgets.

However, the council says the limited intervention is not a long-term answer to erosion across Mill Marsh Park.

A more comprehensive solution will be needed throughout the park, while ensuring that members of the public can continue to access the water.

The council will work with the Environment Agency and other partners to develop a longer-term plan, which it says will be shared with residents in due course.

In the meantime, visitors are being asked to continue enjoying the park while respecting the additional safety measures around the work area.