Bells will be ringing out in time for Christmas; Overhaul has cost almost pounds 100,000.

Byline: Neil McKay

THE familiar peal of historic church bells will soon be heard again after months of silence.

All six bells from St Nicholas Church in Durham Market Place were removed and transported to expert London restorers in May. Following almost five months' intensive work bringing them back into working order at Whitechapel Bell Foundry, the bells will be ringing again within weeks. A near-pounds 100,000 project has seen the complete overhaul of the copper and tin bells, five of which date from 1687, while the smallest, a treble, is Victorian.

They have been cleaned, through shot-blasting, and returned, while several fittings have been added, including the frame, wheels and pulleys.

Yesterday they were hoisted from the transporter to the top of scaffolding outside the church, before being placed into the tower and lifted into their final position.

Dorothy Nicholas, secretary of the St Nicholas Church Bell Restoration Project, said it could take a fortnight to put them back in place in the belfry.

"It is wonderful to see them back. The cost of restoring them was met by church members and by the local community. "Our ringers have missed them. We have had to go to other churches to practise."

Durham Mayor Dennis Southwell was in the Market Place to see the return of the bells, which each weigh half a ton.

"These bells are older than the cathedral bells. That is how important they are to Durham.

"The fundraising efforts by the church can only be of benefit to the people of Durham. I am looking forward to hearing them peal again before long." While the six new bells returned to Durham Market Place another familiar feature of the square is soon to depart for a much-needed facelift.

The statue of Lord Londonderry, the "man on the horse" is to be hoisted from his lofty perch overlooking the Market Place and taken away to be cleaned up.

Once the pounds 50,000 clean-up is completed he will be returned to the Market Place, although exactly where remains a bone of contention.

City planners want to move the statue 30 feet to free up more public space in the Market Place, as part of a pounds 5m city centre revamp, but locals are adamant that it should be returned to the same spot from where it is being removed this week. Public consultation on the issue has already cost pounds 44,000 taxpayers' money.

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BACK HOME The bells are raised back into position at St Nicholas Church in the centre of Durham City after they had been sent to London for a complete refurbish.