TWO hundred volunteers braved appalling weather to help the restoration of one the UK's most remarkable canal sites - Fourteen Locks, at Newport.

People came from across the country to support the Mon-mouthshire, Brecon and Abergavenny Canal Trust's work at the site.

The staircase lock system, where the canal was raised 50 metres in just 740 metres, formed an integral part of the canal during its 19th century heyday transporting coal and iron.

Since falling into disuse early in the 20th century the locks have become derelict, but there are long-term plans to re-open this section of the canal and re-activating the Fourteen Locks is the most ambitious part.

Hundreds of volunteers have helped clear weeds, ivy and trees from the site in recent years. The latest effort was judged a success by trust chairman Chris Morgan.

"The weather put us off doing work in the lock chambers because we could not get the scaffolding down because of water coming through," he said.

"It was extremely wet, but everyone worked really hard and we've cleared a lot of vegetation away."

Opening the Fourteen Locks is a long-term aim, but a project further up the Crumlin Arm of the canal should be complete in a few months.

Restoration of Lock 21 will open up a further half-mile stretch of the Crumlin Arm.

The trust, which runs the Fourteen Locks Centre at Rogerstone with Newport city council, will be holding a Santa's Grotto there again this year to raise funds.

* Pictured are volunteers helping out at the Fourteen Locks canal