ONE of Britain's tallest hydraulic platforms crawled through the narrow door of Pershore Abbey to reach the tower ceiling.

It came from Colchester and was needed because debris had fallen from the underside of the high bell chamber, costing thousands of pounds to repair, which will need to be raised through donations.

The all-electric machine carried a carpenter over 30 metres up to repair battens put in by the Victorian architect Sir Gilbert Scott in 1864.

They are part of the sound insulation boards underneath the bells.

Volunteers spent hours helping to get the platform crawlers through the abbey's ancient west door.

The gap was an inch too narrow, so one door was removed completely. Repair work in the tower was quickly completed.