Salford's blue cranes may be too rusty to repair

Salford's canal cranes could be scrapped because they are too rusty to repair.

The two cranes, which tower above the Manchester Ship Canal at Salford Quays, have been a symbol of the city's industrial heritage.

The city council had planned to move them, but engineers said they may too badly damaged and beyond repair.

Council leader Derek Antrobus said they will have to be taken apart before the situation can be assessed.

Salford Docks, now renamed Salford Quays, opened in 1894 and was once one of Britain's busiest ports.

More than 200 cranes were in operation there in its heyday, but now only two remain.

The docks, which began to decline in the 1970s, finally closed in 1982.

In 1988, the cranes were dismantled and re-erected on the present site as a landmark and a reminder of the working docks.

However, the council has said the cranes cannot be repaired at their current Salford Quays site as it would mean closing the nearby Metrolink.

Mr Antrobus said the restoration project could cost around £900,000, and the scheme may have to be scrapped in favour of a different monument.

Salford Quays has undergone extensive redevelopment and now includes The Lowry arts centre and outlet mall, MediaCityUK, Salford Watersports Centre and numerous apartment blocks.