Land & Water completes Mon & Brec canal project
AMID the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic, essential work has continued for civil and environmental engineering experts Land & Water.
Working within government guidelines, a team of specialist engineers has successfully completed a project on behalf of the Canal & River Trust and Torfaen Council at Sebastopol on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal.
Land & Water has continued to work on sites across the UK in accordance with all recommendations. Its workers have safely helped to complete a range of essential projects, including this collaboration at Sebastopol where floating pontoons have been installed in the middle of a new housing estate allowing residents to see them at all times.
Operations manager Nick Lewis said: “Our team has done an amazing job despite the obvious challenges we have encountered during this major pandemic. This in itself required meticulous planning and a thorough risk assessment to ensure the safety of all engineers and contractors.
“Meanwhile, we encountered a couple of issues during installation which required rapid, strategic response. Firstly, the pontoon sections had to be lifted into the water almost a kilometre away and pulled along the canal using a tug boat, through a very narrow tunnel.”
He continued: “Secondly, the only access was via water, as access by land would have meant coming through a big earthworks site. Despite these challenges and the Government’s imposed restrictions, my dedicated team, led by site manager Darren Kendrick, did a fantastic job.
“Not only was this project completed to the highest possible standard, it was delivered on time and safely. We have subsequently received incredibly positive feedback from the Canal & River Trust; I couldn’t be prouder of our team.”
This project was part of larger dredging works which were funded by the council and delivered through the Canal & River Trust contract. It was successfully completed in only two days. During the project at Sebastopol, Solent Marine formed part of the project team and supported Land & Water to deliver the new floating moorings.