CREW from HMS Invincible paid a last visit to their adopted city to hand over a selection of ship memorabilia.

Durham City Mayor John Lightley was presented with a board carrying the ship's battle honours, a glass plaque and other items.

Lieutenant Commander Dickie Henderson said: "It is the sad ending of 25 years of affiliation between the HMS Invincible and Durham City.

"We are handing over the ship's battle honours and will later be giving the city the ship's bell. The rest is memorabilia which has passed between the ship and the city over the years."

He was joined by Lieutenant Commander John Voyce and Lieutenant Gary Collins.

Invincible, now de-commissioned, was launched by the Queen in 1977 and was commissioned three years later.

She served in the 1982 Falklands War, with the Duke of York on board as a helicopter pilot, and in the 1995 bombing of Bosnia. The ship also helped enforce the no-fly zone over southern Iraq in 1998 and 1999.

It underwent a £64m refit in 2001 and acted as the Royal Navy's flagship in June's International Fleet Review.

HMS Illustrious has succeeded the warship as the service's flagship.