A £5m flood prevention project in Abingdon will not be completed any time soon, a council boss has warned.

A milestone was marked last week when a new flood wall at St Helen's Mill was finished, but this was just the first stage of a wider Environment Agency scheme to reduce flood risk in the town.

Vale of White Horse District Council leader Matthew Barber welcomed its completion but admitted that a more complex scheme along the River Ock was still 'some time off'.

He said: "It's progressing, but it's a major bit of engineering. It's on track but it's a big job and still requires the final sign-off, let alone construction.

"Everyone recognises we could get flooded tomorrow and the protection isn't in place. It's frustrating.

"[The flood wall] really is just a small part of our commitment to investigate bigger flood alleviation schemes for Abingdon."

He said the wall had 'taken a ridiculous time to come about' but it offered 'much-needed protection' for residents of St Helen's Mill, located near St Helen's Church.

The Environment Agency started building the 34-metre long wall in May and announced its completion last week.

Carole Priestley, who chairs St Helen's Mill Residents Association, said she was 'really pleased' with the wall, which cost £255,000 and consists of a steel structure clad in brick.

She added: "It will hopefully change the way that everybody lives at the Mill."

The wall is the first of two projects - costing a combined total of £5m - that the EA is pursuing in Abingdon, separate to its £120m Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme.

Project manager Emily Williamson, who led St Helen's Mill scheme, said the wall will give residents 'peace of mind'.

EA engineers are still investigating the second scheme, involving the River Ock.

An update on the agency's website states: "The St Helen's Mill flood wall does provide sufficient benefits so has progressed, whilst options for the River Ock flood scheme are still being investigated."

Yesterday an EA spokeswoman confirmed its team is 'exploring whether a scheme on the River Ock is a viable option'.

The district council has put £2m towards the scheme in Abingdon, where 450 homes and businesses were badly hit by the 2007 floods.

South Abingdon resident Jim King, whose home was among the worst-hit that year, branded the new flood wall 'a sheer waste of money'.

The 74-year-old, who founded Ock Valley Flood Group, called on the EA to simply dredge the rivers to solve Abingdon's flooding problems.

Government advice notes that 'dredging can be a solution for reducing flood risk in the right place' but 'is not suitable for all sites'.

Earlier this year the EA also carried out works to allow a 1.5km stretch of land along the River Ock to accommodate temporary steel barriers, which will be deployed when needed.

It demolished a bridge at St Helen's Mill in 2009 as part of flood prevention works.