At the end of last week, with the jib of the Terex CTL 180 on the St George Wharf tower badly damaged and access to the site limited, many of our contacts (and this magazine) were expressing pessimism at the likelihood of recovery being able to take place any time soon. Now, with one of the biggest mobile cranes in the country rushed to the accident site from Leyland in Lancashire, and set up in the cramped streets of central London, it looks like recovery may be possible within days.

The recovery operation began with the removal of small loose items on Thursday 17 January. Heavier damaged parts of the crane were secured in place. At the same time, the TC 2800-1 arrived at the site.

The original set up plan for the crane had been targetted at taking 30-36 hours. It was completed by the morning of Monday 21. The TC 2800-1 is currently poised next to the damaged luffer with an Ainscough operator, working under supervision of Brookfiled Multiplex, ready to get to work on recovery.

Brookfield Multiplex have worked with a wide range of regulators and experts to ensure the safety of the damaged crane. The company says it has been inspected twice by the HSE, and by the buildings derpartment of Lambeth Borough Council. Crane hirers and experts including Ainscough, Select, Robert Bird Partnership and Skyline have also contributed to the assessment of the recovery.