MASSES of volunteers from a law firm descended upon Caen Hill Locks to take part in the canal clean up.

Over 40 volunteers from Burges Salmon arrived at the Kennet and Avon Canal, on April 21, in Devizes to spend a day giving the Locks a well-deserved clean.

Steve Manzi, volunteer development co-ordinator at the Trust, said: “We’re really grateful to have the help of the volunteers from Burges Salmon to get Caen Hill looking great for the summer. In one day they managed to make a huge difference, and hopefully enjoyed being out by the canal as well.”

Working with the Canal and River Trust- the charity that looks after the waterway- the volunteers painted lock beams, built bug hotels and resurfaced a path at the World Heritage site, getting the popular attraction spruced up and ready for the summer season.

Mr Manzi added: “If anyone’s interested in getting involved in volunteering on the waterways there’s always lots to do- from getting your hands dirty to being a friendly face for the many visitors we have to the Kennet and Avon Canal. The best thing to do is head to our website, and with the warmer weather coming there’s no better time to get involved.”

The 16 locks at Caen Hill were engineer John Rennie’s solution to climbing the very steep hill in Devizes, and were the last part of the 87-mile route of the Kennet and Avon Canal to be completed. After a period of decline, when the canal fell into disrepair, the locks were rescued by volunteers and restored to full working order by 1990.