Cutty Sark restorers in cash plea

The fire added millions of pounds to the cost of the conservation work

A cash plea has been made by restorers working on the Cutty Sark which was ravaged by fire a year ago.

The ship, based in Greenwich, south-east London, was a quarter way through a £25m conservation project when the fire started on 21 May.

It is now expected to cost £35m to restore, with £3.7m still needed, the group working on the ship said.

The cause of the fire remains unclear. Police are expected to release a report into the blaze by early summer.

Richard Doughty, chief executive of the Cutty Sark Trust, said: "It's always a hand-to-mouth struggle and without that money it means that we'd have to cut further corners in what we do.

"We'll find a way if we don't raise all the money but it would be a blessing if someone came forward now and said 'I will plug this gap'."

Work on the ship is expected to last until 2010.