A YORK company has provided vital support - quite literally - for a hotel project across the Pennines.

Fulford Road-based Mechplant used its unique heavy duty, 125-tonne load capacity MP 125 hydraulic strut as the main force in supporting the construction of a large basement for a new hotel, night club and shopping development (pictured right).

The latest application for this versatile piece of equipment was at The Circus in Oxford Street in the centre of Manchester, for design and build contractor Shepherd, on behalf of Amec Developments Ltd.

The 13,000 square-metre Circus scheme is contained on a key island site at the intersection of Oxford Street and Portland Street in the city centre .

It is being built behind retained, listed facades, and the seven-metre deep excavation for the basement had to ensure safe support for the retained facades and safeguard the integrity of the surrounding thoroughfares. Mechplant used 26 of its MP 125 hydraulic struts installed round the periphery of the 69.25 metre long and 40.75 metre wide excavation to support the concrete capping beam, while minimising disruption to the construction of the many stairwells, lift shafts, columns and associated drainage and services.