A HISTORIC feature of a Bath canal has been restored to its full glory.

Avon Industrial Buildings Trust announced this week that their work to restore the Midford aqueduct on the Somersetshire Coal Canal, that lies to the south of the city, has now been completed.

The Trust said that it is delighted that the aqueduct, an artefact of Bath's industrial age, has been saved from potential collapse.

Project Co-ordinator Martin Leathwood said: "It looks superb. It had been going downhill for many years and was in danger of being completely destroyed by floods.

"I would say that it is now the most striking feature of the Somersetshire Coal Canal."

The restoration has been completed with money from the Heritage lottery fund.

The £1m project began in August 2000 but was immediately hit by the wettest autumn on record while contractors, St Blaise Ltd, were hit by three major floods, closing the site for several months at a time.

Mr Leathwood said: "We had many problems.

Workmen were working in water up to their knees because we had three floods, which are only supposed to happen every 50 years, hit within a month.

Work had to be suspended to about five months because the conditions were too dangerous.