A VINTAGE bus tour is set to turn back the clock on a city’s seafront this summer.

Every weekend during the summer holidays, buses from decades ago will be returning to their former haunts to provide visitors with a free journey into the past in Sunderland.

The tour will pick up passengers from the famous ‘tram shelter’ on Seaburn sea front hourly during the day and take in a circular route past Roker Pier, Wearmouth Bridge and Keel Square before returning them to Seaburn sea front.

The new tour is the brainchild of the North East Bus Preservation Trust (NEBPT), a volunteer-run charity dedicated to preserving and showcasing vintage buses from the region. It is hoped the tour will provide an added attraction for visitors to Sunderland’s award-winning sea front as well as the chance for the buses to stretch their wheels.

Chairman of the NEBPT, Peter Elliott, said: “We’ve been looking for a way to bring our important collection of vintage vehicles to a wider audience and Sunderland sea front seems to be the perfect location.”

Vehicles that would have been common in decades stretching back to the 1960s will be motoring their way along the seafront once more.

It is planned to feature different vehicles from the NEBPT collection on the route.

The collection includes a rare 1964 Sunderland Corporation Atkinson Alpha, a 1977 Sunderland Daimler Fleetline and a 1964 Bristol MW coach.

Visitors will be able to ride the buses on the circular tour for free during this first trial year of operation with no booking required on a first come first seated basis.

Sunderland City Council portfolio holder for culture, Cllr John Kelly, said: “This is a fantastic idea from the North East Bus Preservation Trust.

“It will bring a new attraction to the sea front and give visitors the opportunity to sample some of our regions heritage while enjoying coastal views.”

Ed Tutty, recently appointed chairman of the Sunderland Seafront Traders Association: “The group always put on a successful show during the summer which brings lots of tourists down to the sea front.

“This expansion of their offer will not only create a great tourist attraction but also increase our footfall across the whole of the Seaburn and Roker area. We are already looking forward to it.”

For more information visit www.seeitdoitsunderland.