The East Lancashire Railway has been awarded more than £1.3m in grants to carry out repair work to the Higher Woodhill Viaduct.

The last repairs were carried out in 1932 but the grants will allow work to start in the spring.

The funding has come from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Community Ownership Fund (£1m), with local authorities from Bury, Rochdale and Rossendale putting in £276,000.

Members of the public, supporters of the railway, and local businesses added a further few thousand pounds.

“The news that the East Lancashire Railway has been successful in its Community Ownership Fund bid is a fantastic Christmas gift for our town. This vital funding will allow essential maintenance on the Woodhill Viaduct to keep the East Lancashire Railway running for years to come.

“Since being elected, I have offered my full support to the team at the railway for this bid, raising it with ministers, and even Number 10, at every opportunity.

James Frith, Labour MP for Bury North