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14 December 2010 Last updated at 11:01

In pictures: Leaning Tower of Pisa restoration ends

An eight-year project to restore the stonework of the 837-year-old Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy to its former glory is nearing completion.

A team of 10 restorers have used lasers, chisels and syringes to clean the 24,424 blocks of stone which make up the 56m (183ft) structure.

Anton Sutter, the head restorer, said the stones were in 鈥渁n appalling state, mainly due to air pollution, though tourists and pigeons played a part鈥�.

Sea salt carried on the wind - Pisa is only 12km (seven miles) from the Mediterranean - and rain water that collected in certain areas because of the tower's tilt had caused most of the damage to the masonry, Mr Sutter said.

The distinctive, yellowish stone came from the quarries of San Giuliano, visible from the top of the tower, which scar the hills behind Pisa.

The landmark鈥檚 lean was straightened by 45cm (18 inches) from the vertical between 1990 and 2001, after which it was reopened to the public. The photograph on the left shows the tower in 1992. On the right is a picture from December 2010.

In 1987, the tower was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations' cultural organisation, Unesco. About a million people visit a year and the ticket revenue has helped pay for the 7m-euro ($9.3m) clean-up.

Mountaineers were used to move the scaffolding gradually up the tower to the last floor, and will return one more time to take it down in February.

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Europe

In pictures: Leaning Tower of Pisa restoration ends

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