Pump facts:

• Gloucester Pumping Station consists of four 2000 l/sec capacity pumps which were originally installed in 2000.

• Each of the two new Flygt column pumps is capable of filling an Olympic-size swimming pool every 21 minutes.

• Each pump weighs more than three tonnes, is the size of a small car and requires a 40t road crane to install. They cost £100,000 each.

• The pumps operate on demand and are controlled by the trust’s SCADA level management software. They can also be controlled locally.

• Water has been pumped from the Severn into the canal since 1834 and it’s still possible to see the 1960s original No 1 ‘snail’ pump (named after its distinctive shape) on site.

• The Canal & River Trust’s Gloucester & Sharpness Canal has supplied drinking water to Bristol since the 1960s.