WHEN tree surgery brought light into the darkest corner of Abbey House Gardens, it provided the inspiration for their latest feature.

A 20ft waterfall is the newest addition to the gardens owned by Ian and Barbara Pollard and was switched on on Thursday .

"Ian had wanted to put another water feature in and he had been toying with the idea of something structural," said Mrs Pollard.

"But when he saw the circle of light he decided to put in a waterfall."

She said the light appears to dance up the cascading water like the fish of Japanese folklore that is represented by a pyramid stone at the bottom of the structure. Legend has it that if the fish reaches the top it will turn into a dragon.

Mrs Pollard hopes that the waterfall will attract visitors to the far end of the garden.

The waterfall has taken three months and 150 tons of stone from the Forest of Dean to complete.

It is hoped the 20,000 gallons of water that are recycled through the waterfall each hour will keep the slow flowing summer river moving, attracting fish.

To mark the switching on of the waterfall, the Pollards are offering two visitors entry for the price of one.