A LONG-delayed archaeological dig at Dulverton Weir and Leat has been completed, in a bid to find a cobbled floor under Leat Bridge.

It was carried out by members of North Devon Archaeology Society (NDAS), who had agreed in March 2020, to conduct three digs with weir and leat conservation trust members Phillip Hull and Peter Romain.

However, the coronavirus national lockdowns delayed the first two excavations until September of last year.

Now, a third trench has been dug, about three feet upstream from the north face of the bridge, close to Leat House.

The earlier excavations had shown that the Victorians used the weir area as a rubbish dump, as lots of broken glass and ceramics from the era were recovered.

Although it had been suggested the weir could be late Medieval in origin, the dig team was unable to find any evidence of the date of construction.

Nigel Dymond, of the NDAS, said the leat trench also suggested a post-Medieval date as the team was surprised to find a lime mortared base rather than the rumoured cobbles.

The finds were all of the modern era, with the oldest coin recovered dating only to 1971, suggesting the leat had been cleaned out. Mr Dymond said residents had claimed the leat was regularly dredged or cleared by the local authorities, and the last time this occurred was likely to have been in the 1960s/1970s.