Engineers ‘terrified’ over risks to leaning tower

Engineers working to save the leaning tower of Pisa were ‘‘terrified’’ their activities could destroy the historic monument, a British member of the team said today.

The globally-famous Italian landmark reopens today after being closed in 1990 because of fears that its distinctive tilt had become so great that it was a danger to visitors.

John Burland, professor of soil mechanics at London’s Imperial College, today said the angle at which the tower was leaning had become so precarious that experts feared a storm could bring it crashing down.

He admitted that members of the Italian Prime Minister’s Commission for stabilising the Tower, of which he was part, feared it could be destroyed by the very work intended to save it.

Engineers carefully excavated soil from beneath the north side of the Tower to allow it to slowly move back into a more upright position, he explained.

Prof Burland told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘‘It was absolutely terrifying but it has been very successful. We believe that it is going to stay there for at least another 200 or 300 years.

‘‘We felt that any random event, like a storm or an earthquake would have brought it down.

‘‘We thought if we could very gently and very slowly remove soil from beneath the north side, we could slowly reduce the inclination to something that would be acceptable but wouldn’t be visible.

‘‘We have brought the Tower back to where it was in 1838. The tourists really can’t see any difference.

‘‘It might move a little bit, but if in 150 or 200 years they have to repeat what we have done, that is no problem.’’