THE 250-year-old West Pier Lighthouse in Whitby, featured in calendars and greetings cards worldwide, has been restored to its former glory.

Scarborough Council has carried out extensive work after receiving a £50,000 grant from the Government's Department of Culture and Local Government Coastal Revival Fund.

It then added £36,000 from its own funds to enable the extensive refurbishment to go ahead, according to deputy council leader Coun Helen Mallory.

The work included repairing the internal staircase and cracks within the structure, steel bracings, and re-facing and repointing the external blockwork.

"The objective was to make the lighthouse safe and it has now been re-opened to the public," she said.

The lighthouse was built in 1857 at a cost of £8,000 and is known as Whitby High Light. It was electrified in 1976 and automated in 1992.

Whitby has two other lighthouses on its piers which protect the town's harbour.