A NORTH-EAST landmark will reach a milestone this week in its restoration and development as a visitor attraction.

On Wednesday, the second of two guns - a 4.7 inch calibre turret gun weighing about 20 tonnes - will be lifted on to the Heugh Gun Battery at Hartlepool's Headland.

They will replace the two original guns, which were scrapped in the 1930s.

The battery, which dates from 1900, earned a place in history when its guns returned fire during the bombardment of Hartlepool by the Imperial German Navy in December 1914.

It was decommissioned in 1956, but over the past five years it has been restored by the Heugh Gun Battery Trust, a dedicated group of local historians, backed by the North Hartlepool Partnership.

The partnership has paid for the cost of transporting the second gun from storage in Gloucester and its subsequent re-assembly at the battery, and local engineering firm Heerema made platforms for the two guns for free.

Both guns - which have a range of about 20 miles - have been given to the battery on permanent loan by English Heritage and are very rare.

They date from the Second World War and are the closest available match to the battery's original guns. They will be stripped down and repainted by the trust's volunteers.

John Southcott, chairman of the Heugh Gun Battery Trust, said: "This is a very proud day for us and a tribute to all the hard work by the trust's volunteers and the organisations which have supported us."

The Heugh Gun Battery is open to the public on Saturdays between 10am and 4pm, or by prior appointment. Admission is £1.