A PROJECT to relocate and refurbish a historic canal boat to Halton as a new tourist attraction is gathering speed.

The steel-hulled Barmere canal boat was one of 19 dumb barges built for the Bridgewater Department of the Manchester Ship Canal Company, as part of the fleet in 1948 that sailed the waters in Halton.

And now, after 17 years out of water, it is set to be launched in Spike Island, Widnes, in 12 months time.

Councillor Keith Morley, who is leading the project, said: 'We have been working extremely hard to get the Barmere back to Widnes.

'And after 18 months of work we have got the go-ahead to get it moved to the town and restored to it's former glory.

'It was a rust bucket after it had been out of action, but now we have done all the welding and painting to clean it up. It's now in great shape to come back to the borough.'

The Barmere operated mainly on the Bridgewater and Manchester Ship Canals primarily transporting grain and rice until 1974.

After that it was purchased by marine contractors in Liverpool who used it for the collection of floating debris in the docks.

It was then acquired by the Sankey Canal Restoration Society (SCARS) in 1989 and is now one of only three vessels that are known to be in the UK.

SCARS have been gradually refurbishing the Barmere and seeking ways to bring it back into use but none have proved a success until now.

Cllr Morley added: 'We are waiting on the crane to transport it to Spike Island and as soon as that happens we can get on with refurbishing the inside on the boat.

'It has a great history and we intend to use it as a classroom of information and all the history that goes with the Barmere will up in the ranger's cabin for people to see.

'I am thrilled to see this project come to Halton and it will provide the community with a lot of enjoyment.'

Halton Borough Council has already been given the rudder and the winch for the barge, after it was dismantled some years ago and Cllr Morley is counting the days when this famous boat sets sail in Spike Island.

He said: 'When we presented the idea to council leader Tony McDermott he was really excited about the prospect of the boat returning to Halton.

'He gave us the green light to proceed and now we will have a great tourist attraction for everybody to enjoy.'