ABSEILERS are dangling high above Anderton as they carry out a thorough inspection of an ancient monument.

A team of daredevil specialists is checking for corrosion or any other defects as part of an'MOT' at Anderton Boat Lift.

The 80ft structure dates back to 1875 and lifts canal boats 50ft between the River Weaver and the Trent and Mersey Canal.

It was fully restored in 2002 in a £7 million project and transformed into a popular tourist attraction, being branded as the 'Cathedral of the Canals'.

The specialist abseiling team has been enlisted as it is the most efficient way to carry out the thorough aerial inspection, which is expected to take a week.

The work is being carried out by the Canal and River Trust, a charity responsible for the 2,000 miles of the country's waterways.

Lee Bradley, engineer from the trust, said: "Anderton Boat Lift enjoys the title 'Cathedral of the Canals' because it is such a majestic building.

"It's a cat's cradle of steel and iron dating back to 1875 and needs to be examined closely as part of the inspection.

"The abseilers are experts in their field and able to access every nook and crevice that needs to be examined.

"It is not an easy job and you need a head for heights, but one that enables us to carry out the inspection with the minimum disruption.

"The alternative would be to swathe the structure in scaffolding, but this would mean the boat lift would have to be closed with the ensuing inconvenience this would cause to boaters and our own trip boats."