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The scenario of a fire in the roof of Canterbury Cathedral was used for a fire service exercise on Monday night.

More than 100 firefighters from across Kent descended on the city and tested out a £500,000 pumping machine which moved water from the River Stour straight into the Cathedral.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service picked the building for the exercise because of its size, height and specicific challenges such as protecting rare artefacts and books. Twenty-five firefighters wearing breathing apparatus scaled a long ladder and entered the Cathedral’s roof space.

See our video of the exercise on the right

Richard Willingham, the station manager at Canterbury, said: “Kent Fire and Rescue Service continues to improve its appliances, equipment and resources and some very hi-tech pumping equipment is now operational at Whitstable Fire Station.

“This equipment has been introduced predominantly to deal with flooding incidents, however this equipment will also improve the service’s capability of moving high volumes of water to major fires.

“We used the scenario of a fire in the cathedral’s roof, which is obviously very high and means getting personnel and equipment into hard to reach areas.

“We will also be putting into practice the liaison between KFRS and cathedral staff to ensure that the identification and prioritisation of essential items to be protected and removed is put into motion at the early stages of any incident.”

Water was pumped from the Stour at The Friars, up Orange Street, along Sun Street and into the Buttermarket. The pump is one of 46 in use across the country.