Campaigners for Pontcysyllte aqueduct and canal’s bid for world heritage status were putting their case to a crunch meeting of the world’s foremost experts today.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation was today meeting in Seville, Spain, to examine 27 nominations to the list and people involved with the bid from the Shropshire and North Wales border were due to have just five minutes to make their case to Unesco’s World Heritage Committee.

Pontcysyllte, built by Thomas Telford and William Jessop between 1795 and 1805, is the longest and highest aqueduct in Britain.

The aqueduct, near Llangollen, is regarded as one of Telford’s greatest civil engineering achievements and the world heritage status would encompass the stretch of canal from Chirk Bank near Oswestry over the Chirk and Pontcysyllte aqueducts to Llangollen.

Dr Dawn Roberts, economic development manager for Wrexham Council, who has travelled to Spain, described it as an “outstanding” example of engineering.

He said: “It is an awesome sight and one of those sites in the world we feel people must visit.”

Pontcysyllte is Britain’s only nomination and is bidding against the Dolomites in Italy and the historic monuments of Mount Songshan in China. If it is given World Heritage status it will rank alongside Stonehenge.