A GIANT screw delivering power from the banks of the Thames was officially opened last week.

The hydroelectric plant has already generated enough electricity to power roughly 120 homes for a year since it was first installed in January.

The Archimedes Screw built in Sonning was created by Pridewater Estates working with landowners Hugo and Annabel Gamble and contractors Greenford Ltd.

Pridewater Estates’ Terry Lane gave the keynote address and unveiled a plaque commemorating the day.

"All our people who have been involved in this development are immensely proud of what we are doing here," he said.

"We hope it provides the inspiration for others to look for similar opportunities to improve the environment, while at the same time growing their businesses as we are growing ours, in order create more job opportunities, a stronger economy and increased prosperity for this country."

The water-driven screw will generate more power than is used at the four canal marina's run by Pridewater Estates.

Mr Gamble said: "For many years we have stood at this point and thought this would be a very good place from which to try to generate green electricity from hydropower.

"We owned the land, the Abstraction Licence and had a rather sketchy vision of what might be, but Pridewater Estates Ltd and contractors Greenford Ltd were the master minds, they literally took an idea and turned it into reality."