Canal restoration 'open to public' at Lock 65, Llangynidr

Glandwr Cymru is replacing a one-and-a-half tonne lock gate at Llangynidr in the Brecon Beacons

Visitors to the Brecon Beacons have taken a step back in time to explore the £30,000 restoration of a historic canal.

The Canal and River Trust in Wales - Glandwr Cymru - invited people to view repairs at Lock 65 near Llangynidr in Powys on Saturday.

Heritage and engineering experts gave guided tours from a scaffold platform inside the 200-year-old lock.

It is part of a £45m project restoring waterways in Wales and England.

Visitors were able to see much of the original infrastructure and brickwork from when the canal was built over 200 years ago.

The charity is currently working to replace a one-and-a-half tonne lock gate at the site.

Kevin Phillips, waterways supervisor at Glandwr Cymru, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for people to get up close to some of Wales' most impressive industrial heritage.

"It's amazing to think that the bricks on the canal bed are the same ones that were first used to build the lock over two centuries ago."

Richard Parry, chief executive of Glandwr, said he hoped showcasing the charity's work would inspire people to support their local canals and rivers.

Every year the Canal and River Trust carries out a programme of works to conserve and repair the fragile infrastructure of the 2,000 miles (3,200km) of canals and rivers it looks after.