ENGINES were fired up at the Crofton Beam Engine steaming weekend as the 200 year old water pumps blasted into action to the delight of families and steam enthusiasts.

Steaming weekends have been taking place at the Crofton site since the 1970s and provide steam engine enthusiasts the chance to see the 19th century machinery in action.

Peter Turvey, chairman, Crofton branch, Kennet and Avon canal trust who spent the day with visitors said: "Once we manage to get people to visit the site and see the engines in action it really captures people's imaginations. They are a wonderful sight and there isn't anything else quite like it in the rest of the country."

This year engines ran for a reduced time over the three day event because of the low water levels at Wilton Water reserve. The shorter running times prevented the engines from pumping out all the water from the well that flows into the canal and stopped too much water from being fed to the summit of the canal.

Expert mechanics and staff allowed visitors to get up close to the working engines at the site in Crofton, Marlborough.

Beers from local brewers and a BBQ was put on for engine enthusiasts out at the event in the bank holiday sunshine.