Canal plunge lorry recovery - in pictures
[gallery] This was the scene as a massive crane recovered an articulated lorry from a canal in a three-hour operation.
The A483 was closed yesterday morning at Abermule, between Welshpool and Newtown, as the crane carefully pulled the lorry free from the water.
The vehicle, carrying tonnes of sugar beet pellets, toppled into the canal on Monday after the driver lost control of the vehicle and it fell over the crash barrier.
While the driver managed to climb out of his cab unhurt, his lorry was left half-submerged in the canal which runs alongside the main road.
Following the crash, which happened at 2pm, some attempts were made to rescue the lorry, but they proved unsuccessful.
But yesterday's operation was more fruitful as the crane slowly but surely pulled the vehicle back on to the bank. The operation was carried out in two stages, with the trailer pulled out first before the cab was slowly lifted clear of the water and placed back on the road. It was then taken away by a recovery truck.
The rescue was monitored by Natural Resources Wales, which was called in after an environmental alert was issued.
Rob Ireson, senior environment officer for Natural Resources Wales, said: "Our officers were on site working with the fire service, police and specialist contractors to remove the trailer containing approximately 28 tonnes of sugar beet pellets from the canal."
Councillor Joy Jones said: "I think the accident was just one of those unfortunate things and thankfully nobody was killed or indeed hurt.
"I hope it is a one-off and I certainly don't recall anything like that happening before so I don't think it is a problem area."
