Watch: Striking new tower is new addition to Telford skyline

The striking structure has become a new addition to Telford's skyline.

And staff putting it together are enjoying some of the best views in the county.

The tower, which resembles a giant meccano kit, has taken several weeks to put together.

It is being created by Parkburn, alongside its factory site at the town's Stafford Park.

The company specialises in marine winches and fit cranes to the back of ships that haul heavy machinery and important cables+ to and from the bottom of the sea bed.

But it needs to ensure that all equipment is thoroughly tested, and that is where the new Telford tower has an important role.

The groundworks for the structure were completed at the start of the year and it has gradually taken shape since then, giving motorists travelling on the A464 a new landmark to enjoy.

Simon Griffiths, general manager at Parkburn, said: "In the UK and Europe, there is a major lack of good facilities that allow winch and handling systems to be thoroughly tested prior to being installed on a ship.

"Our new test facility at Telford will allow a far higher and more thorough set of tests to be carried out on the research and development of our handling systems. It means we can create conditions that are far more like its actual use and installation on the vessel.

"We can also simulate many of the emergency situations likely to be seen in an offshore environment, such as full speed dynamic testing and black ship situations, to ensure safety circuits and back-up systems are fully functioning."

Once completed the tower will be able to handle maximum loads of up to 125 tonnes.

The work will help the oil and gas industry, which is increasingly looking to deeper waters in their search for new fields.

Parkburn has also developed a Deepwater Capstan Winch, or DWC for short, for handling fibre rope and hopes this new technology will revolutionise deep sea operations.

The company are now starting to look at taking this technology offshore later this year.

Mr Griffiths added: "At depth the weight penalties of current steel wire systems are becoming a major issue and as we go deeper we will soon reach the point where the wire weight alone will be too much even to support itself.

"Therefore alternative solutions are essential and so we believe our DWC technology will be the game changer for deep water heavy lifting."