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A World War II bomb was dug up on 2 June during the construction of the Prescott Lock, the canal gateway to the new Olympic Park.  WM Plant Hire’s CAT 345 long reach machine pulled the 2000 pound bomb out the River Lea during routine re-profiling works to the river channel.  The site was evacuated and the army took control of the site until the bomb was detonated on 6 June.  This was one of the largest bombs found since the war and the explosion filmed was with only 10% of the explosive power remaining!  

Click to view the BBC footage

Two long reach excavators are being used on a rail embankment project in Somerset, with an innovative milling attachment to profile the loose rock face.  Working from the top of the slope, the loose rock is removed and re-profiled by a rotating rock wheel.  The second machine removes the material and assists the roped access team to remove loose fragments.  The rock face is finished using a topsoil mattress and netting, fixed using rock drills.

The 22m reach Volvo machine is working next to Snow Hill station in Birmingham removing arisings from a deep basement excavation.  This deep hole will comprise parking for the multi storey development above and has been constructed with a contiguous piled concrete wall.  This application is a fine example of the capability of our long reach excavators with upgraded hydraulics for lifting power.

During the heavy rain leading to last Summer's floods, the historic Severn Valley Railway was badly affected by landslips along the Bridgnorth to Bewdley line. Reconstruction of the rail embankments was carried out using a 22m reach machine, building gabion baskets and re-profiling the slopes adjacent to the River Severn.  Work is on track to have the line reopened for the Easter weekend.

The construction of the new St Germans pumping station near Kings Lynn is well underway, with the massive temporary cofferdam nearing completion.  Costain are using 3 long reach machines, with the sheet piled cofferdam being excavated in 'cells' to a depth of almost 20m and backfilled with a structural fill.  This is heavy duty work requiring the larger machines up to 90 tonnes.  Dewatering operations will soon start in readiness for the CFA piling and base slabs.

At the Olympic site in east London, works are progressing well at Prescott Channel to install a lock structure to the River Lea and re-profile the concrete channel.  The 60 tonne CAT 345 long reach with a heavy breaker is being used to break up the concrete sections and extract the steel piles beneath.  Key challenges include the high tidal range and the detailed environmental considerations in this very sensitive location.