AbstractLarge woody debris (LWD) can have a significant impact upon local channel morphology by creating scour pools and zones of reduced shear stress in which sediment is deposited. It is important to predict scour depths associated with LWD, as it is becoming increasingly common for debris to be added into river channels to improve sediment retention and create pools for aquatic habitat. Engineered log‐jams should therefore be designed using factor of safety engineering analysis, which includes estimates of associated scour and deposition rates. However, the rate and total depth of scour associated with LWD have not been modelled comprehensively, with authors resorting to the use of generic local and constriction scour models to predict scour depths. Also, constriction scour models presented, to date, do not calculate the rate of scour development. In this paper a model is presented for predicting the rate and total depth of scour associated with a channel constriction. The model is one‐dimensional and is based upon the sediment continuity equation, the calculation of specific head changes through the constricted reach and also allows for a variable free surface elevation above the bed at the constriction. This model could be applied to any channel constriction problem but here is used to determine scour rates and depths associated with deflector‐type LWD jams. Deflector jams are one category of jam type presented in a debris jam classification scheme, in which jam type is a function of the ratio of average riparian tree height to average channel width. Deflector jams, as the name implies, partially block the flow and therefore act as a channel constriction, which results in constriction scour. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.