A WORLD heritage site has been hailed as an economic boost to the area in Parliament.

Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones has spoken in Parliament to commemorate Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal’s 10th anniversary as a UNESCO world heritage site.

The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, designed by civil engineers Thomas Telford and William Jessop, was completed in 1805.

It is the longest aqueduct in the UK and the highest canal aqueduct in the world. It was awarded World Heritage Site status on June 27, 2009.

After her speech in Parliament, Susan Elan Jones MP said: “I am delighted to have had the opportunity to mark the 10th year since the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal became a UNESCO world heritage site.

"It joins sites like the Taj Mahal, the Great Barrier Reef and the Great Wall of China and I am very proud that we have such a historically significant site in Clwyd South.

"The aqueduct is a masterpiece of waterworks engineering and a pioneering example of iron construction, and it was at the heart of the industrial revolution.

"Along with the fantastic Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, which starts at the beginning of next month, the site has been a huge economical boost to a relatively rural part of the constituency, bringing in visitors from across the globe.”