Duck weed which has polluted an iconic river is being scooped up by a digger in a bid to improve the waterway’s “terrible condition”.

A build-up of weed and algae in the River Colne, which runs through Colchester, has sparked "depply held concerns" from people across the town, with the town's MP Will Quince calling for the river to be cleaned extensively.

The Environment Agency said the prolonged dry, warm weather has slowed the river's flow and created the conditions for surface weed, which includes invasive azolla and duck weed, to grow.

It has now Tweeted a video of workers "pushing the weed from one stretch of the river to the other ready for a digger to scoop it out".

The Environment Agency added on Twitter: "Officers have been working on the River Colne in Colchester. They are trialling different ways of removing the duck weed and invasive azolla."

Colchester Borough Council has said it will publish a "vision document for the river" in time for the meeting of its cabinet on September 4.