The Caledonian Canal is expected to reopen fully to sea-to-sea traffic on Thursday following repairs to damage caused by flooding early last month.

The waterway was closed to traffic after heavy rain combined with melting snow washed away a weir near Fort Augustus.

Repairs have been done to the damaged area at Cullochy.

Scottish Canals said the canal was already available to small vessels and would open to all traffic on Thursday.

The organisation said it took a feat of engineering to repair the breach at the weir.

It said the weight of water that had been going through the damaged area had been the equivalent of four fully grown African elephants every second.

Russell Thomson, of Scottish Canals, told BC Radio Scotland: 'The volume and velocity of water to be handled was significant.

'We calculated there were 20 cubic metres of water per second passing over the breach.

'To give a better picture of that, the average African elephant weighs about five tonnes. The water was the equivalent of four elephants a second passing over the breach.'

Source: BBC