In photos: 'Iconic landmark' cleaned by Basildon firm for first time in a decade

IT is not every day that London’s Tower Bridge glass floors get cleaned – in fact last week marked the first time in a decade.

Basildon firm LDT Contractors was tasked with the “extreme window cleaning” job to help get the floors sparkling again.

Workers used abseiling equipment to reach and clean the underside of the bridge’s glass floors.

This operation is the first of its kind since the installation of the glass floor a decade ago.

Luke Tilbury, managing director of LDT Contractors (Image: City Bridge Foundation)

The bridge, which is owned by the 900-year-old City Bridge Foundation charity, underwent this maintenance during its regular quarterly overnight closures.

Luke Tilbury, managing director of LDT Contractors, said: “Tower Bridge has been a really interesting project to work on.

“It’s quite an intricate space to get up to and there was a lot of work that we put into the project in advance, including a trial run at our unit, so that on the night it all ran like a well-oiled machine.

“It’s been a huge privilege to work on such an iconic landmark and to be the first company to get up there to clean the underside of the glass floor, is a great honour.”

Workers from LDT Contractors cleaning Tower Bridge's glass floors (Image: City Bridge Foundation)

The cleaning of the glass and the surrounding metalwork was done using high-pressure water jets, specific cleaning solutions and finishing cloths.

Giles Shilson, chairman of the City Bridge Foundation, added: “Like any windows subject to London’s weather, the glass floors need an occasional scrub to keep them spick and span.

“The work made for a spectacular sight for anyone who happened to be passing the bridge in the early hours of the morning.

“The only practical and safe way to do the job was to call in a specialist firm experienced in working at height and in hard-to-reach spaces.”

Giles Shilson, chairman of the City Bridge Foundation (Image: City Bridge Foundation)

The glass floors, which consist of six layers, are able to hold the weight of four black cabs or six elephants.

The bridge remained closed to pedestrians and traffic overnight last week from 10pm to 5am, with normal operations resuming from Sunday morning.

Tower Bridge is one of five bridges owned and maintained by the City Bridge Foundation, at no cost to the taxpayer.