These magnificent Silver Birch trees were returned to their full shimmering glory yesterday (Tues) - thanks to an industrial strength pressure washer.

Gardeners at Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire braved the cold to give 100 Himalayan birches a scrub down and remove a build up of green algae.

Head Gardner Richard Todd uses a high-powered pressure jet of water to blast away stains from the white bark of the 25ft high trees.

It takes him two days to complete the task in the winter gardens of the 13th century Abbey, which was restored in the 17th century and is now owned by the National Trust.

Richard said: ''It's a lot of hard work but the end result is definitely worth it - especially in the snowy conditions we have at the moment.''

This is the third year that the jet cleaner has been used to remove algae, dirty rainwater and dead bark at Anglesey Abbey, which was built in 1236 by monks.

It became a National Trust Property in 1966 after the death of former owner Lord Fairhaven, who converted the house for entertaining guests.