COLCHESTER’S High Street was closed to traffic while a massive tower crane was brought in as part of Williams and Griffin’s £30million redevelopment.

The road was shut to traffic from Friday, at 7pm, until yesterday evening.

The closure was needed to allow a 350-tonne crane to be set up outside the menswear department.

Once built, it was used to construct another crane in the building site.

John Goodsir, 64, of High Woods, Colchester, sells the Big Issue outside the department store. He said: “It was quite a spectacle to see such a big crane in High Street.

“People, and especially children, were stopping throughout the day to look at it.

“It was already set up by the time I arrived at 9am on Saturday and the store opened as normal on Saturday.”

The crane is needed to build a four-storey extension at the department store.