Abseiling on the Pontcysyllte

THERE is only one way to get rid of the vegetation that is growing in the crevasses of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct on the Llangollen canal, and that is by abseiling.

So next Monday (15th December) abseiling contractors working for the Canal & River Trust in Wales will don their harnesses and hang from the aqueduct to carry out vital maintenance work to remove unwanted vegetation which has taken root in crevasses of the Grade I listed, scheduled ancient monument. Using trowels and other hand tools, they will dig out ivy, moss, weeds and even young saplings attacking masonry on the impressive 200 years old structure.

Specialists

This will be undertaken by specialist harnessed contractors from OCS Group company Fountains, and will be part of the maintenance on other structures on the Llangollen and Montgomery canals this winter.

Of the work, Steve Hinton, Contracts Supervisor at the Canal & River Trust, explained:

"This is a rare opportunity to see contractors abseiling over this breathtaking structure to remove overgrown vegetation which has built up over several years.  The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and other historic landmarks within the World Heritage Site are some of the most visited attractions on the country's canal network. The work we are doing here will help to safeguard these unique, internationally-significant heritage structures for generations to come."