A CHRISTMAS bus which holds a special place in the hearts of the people of Hartlepool has been saved from the scrapyard and will undergo a £20,000 revamp.

The 1972 Hartlepool Transport Bristol RE single decker carried Santa and his sleigh around the town on its roof throughout the festive season for more than 20 years, and was much-loved by young and old.

But when the bus network was taken into private hands, the “Santa Bus”, as it had become known, was sold on. It was later used as a mobile social club for Age Concern.

It was about to be scrapped by the Lincolnshire gliding club, which had been using it as a mobile mess room - minus its sleigh.

Now an anonymous Teesside bus enthusiast and four friends have clubbed together to buy the Santa bus for £500, thereby saving it from the scrapman.

They are looking for secure premises to store it, and will then start the restoration, which is estimated will cost between £10,000 and £20,000.

It is hoped people may donate money or secure storage or parts towards the long-term dream of seeing the Santa Bus return to the streets of Hartlepool once more.

A spokesman for the Hartlepool Transport Preservation Group, which has been formed by the friends, said: “Our first priority is storage which is secure, and we are also looking for donor buses which have similar parts.

“Eventually when the bus is restored we will look at getting Santa and his sleigh back on top as they’re no longer there.

“This bus holds a lot of memories for people in Hartlepool. The Santa was a mannequin from one of the shops.

“A lot of the old drivers have a story about the bus driving along Arncliffe Gardens one day, when it went under a low-hanging branch, and decapitated Santa.

“The head wasn’t replaced immediately so the bus was driving around with a headless Santa for about two weeks.

“And someone who’d had a few drinks picked the head up from the road shouting “Santa’s dead!”

The bus, registration OEF 77K, is apparently unique because it has a “ratcliffe lift” to allow easy access for wheelchairs and pushchairs.

The vehicle was originally bought by an enthusiast in Hartlepool in 1997 to save it from scrap, but he couldn’t afford to keep it and sold it on to Age Concern.

It is missing many of its seats but the lift is still intact.