ONE of the most eye-catching landmarks on the East Coast is proudly back in place - and local people are planning a series of celebrations to mark the event.

For decades a huge whalebone arch has overlooked the sea from the West Cliff at Whitby, a reminder of its past as one of the whaling capitals of the world.

The industry has long been a thing of the distant past and the original arch itself fell victim to time, becoming a danger to the public as it decayed and deteriorated.

But now it has been replaced, thanks to the people of Whitby's twin town Anchorage in Alaska.

They gave the 350lb, 16ft long bones of a bowhead whale killed a few years ago by the indigenous Inupiat people, who legitimately hunt whales for their own subsistence.

And after a long preservation effort - which included burying them in manure for months - they have now been erected on the cliff by council engineers.

Whitby's mayor, Dalton Peake, said today: "A fleet of more than 50 whaling ships used to sail out of Whitby around the year 1800 and the men would hoist whalebones high on their masts as they came back in to harbour to show they had been successful.

"From the sea the whalebones form part of three striking landmarks for Whitby - the bones, the Abbey and the Captain Cook statue.

"The whalebones are an important reminder that as well as our religious heritage and the fame of Captain Cook as an explorer, Whitby also has another historical maritime dimension, with the whaling fleet, which brought much trade to the area, through the work of the Scoresby family and others."

The whalebone will be officially unveiled at a ceremony on Sunday in the presence of a party of VIPs from Alaska, including Peggy Willman, an Inupiat dancer who is also Miss Alaska.

It will mark the beginning of two days of Alaskan-themed events in the town.

Scarborough's mayor, Sheila Kettlewell, said the day would be a historic one for Whitby.

"The new whalebones will keep alive Whitby's historic links with the whaling industry which stretch back to the 18th century," she said.

"They will help ensure that future generations are constantly reminded of Whitby's maritime heritage and the town's great seafarers of the past."