THESE are the panoramic views from a cherry picker giving a Swindon landmark a spring clean – from 100ft in the air.

Lofty work to spruce up the Menzies Hotel has attracted a lot of attention since getting underway two weeks ago.

Algae, mould and dirt is being blasted off the front of the building with water and stonework being re-painted.

The clean-up crew will also have to abseil down the 40-year old hotel, in Fleming Way, to reach the nooks and crannies. They also have the chance to look across the town and see redevelopment in action, the countryside surrounding Swindon and views that only a handful of people ever get the chance to admire.

The view certainly shows the changing face of the town, most notably the new and controversial traffic system at Whalebridge, which saw the removal of a roundabout and an underpass.

Commercial abseiler Matt Cole said: “We have had a lot of attention with people walking past and looking up. The guests and people working at the hotel have been very friendly and very positive.

“It’s a well-known building in the town and it’s great to give it a bit of a facelift. As well as jet-washing the brick work we are going to give it a couple of coats of paint and give the signs a good polish as well.”

The job will take Kaizen Industrial Group another two weeks to complete.

Matt, who has also worked on oil rigs and power stations, said: “The platform does have a little bit of a swaying motion in the wind.

“But there are far more precautions when you work at height and statistically you are more likely to die falling off a ladder.

“It’s a very safety-conscious industry and it’s what we are trained to do. When you’re doing your training a lot of people have a wobble at first but they teach you to condition your brain to treat the tops of the buildings as your new horizon.

“When I get up there I have a little look round and it is as if I was at ground level again. Within seconds I’m working away getting on with the job. That’s the best way to conquer your fear as it’s all in the mind.”

Matt, from Norfolk, does get a chance to admire the view.

He said: “You do get the chance to look around. I have been impressed with how much countryside there is around Swindon as you can see right out to the fringes of the town.”

Jason Taylor, European manager, was also on the job yesterday.

“You get to see all sorts of views,” he said. “We have worked in London, Barcelona, Poland, France and Germany.

“You get to take some decent pictures and see places nobody else ever sees.”