MORE than £500,000 of National Lottery money is helping restore a historic pier to its former glory.

Heritage Lottery Fund backing of £545,000 is going to the third and final phase of work on Sunderland Pier, a key feature of the backdrop to the city’s annual airshow.

The city council is putting up £136,000 for the restoration of the lighthouse and tunnel, which will lead for both being opened to the public.

The council is spending a further £300,000 on revamping the pier railings.

The work is part of a £1.35m restoration programme for the 112-year-old Grade II Listed Building.

So far, the pier has been totally resurfaced and the lighthouse’s lantern house has been replaced

Council cabinet secretary Mel Speding (correct) said: “It will enable us to complete the work we started a couple of years ago to restore the pier to its former glory for the enjoyment of future generations.

“We also want to open up the lighthouse and tunnel for public tours, giving more people the chance to visit them and experience the sense of history you find there, so we’re looking at paid tours led by the newly-formed volunteer group, Roker Heritage Group.”

Ivor Crowther, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund North East, said: “Roker Pier is an impressive example of Victorian engineering and played a crucial role in the creation of the wider Sunderland Dock, shaping the area as we know it today.”