The Historic Roman Baths Are Drained For Spring Cleaning

BATH, ENGLAND - MARCH 27: Bath and North East Somerset Council employees brush algae and sludge from the original Roman lead lined floor of the Great Bath as it is drained of 250,000 litres of hot natural thermae spa water as part of a spring cleaning operation, at the historic Roman Baths on March 27, 2018 in Bath, England. Previous cleaning operations, which has to be done regularly to prevent the normally 1.6 metres (5ft) deep baths from becoming murky and to stop algae from growing, have revealed all manners of modern day debris including traffic cones, shopping trolleys and even a moped. Sited below modern street level the Roman Baths built in AD76 and which take water from Britain's largest thermal spring, contains one of the best examples of a preserved Roman bath complex in Europe. Accidentally re-discovered in the 1800s, the steps and lead lining of the Great Bath are over 2000 years old and are visited by over one million tourists a year. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)