WORKMAN at an Atherton site experienced an unusual set-back this morning when an overloaded wagon ended up in the air.

The skip-hire wagon was being used to take away soil from two disused lodges - reservoirs of water that were once used to power steam engines - as part of a project at Victoria Mill to create Atherton’s ‘riviera’.

A skip full of soil was being hoisted onto the wagon when the weight of the load got the better of it.

Landlord Gordon Tickle said: “The driver was at the back operating the vehicle and you should have seen his face.

“We had to get the digger and take tiny loads of soil out of the skip to gently lower the wagon back down. It took quite a while.”

Work began in September to fill in one of the lodges in order to extend the car park and clean out the other to create a fishing oasis for Atherton residents.