Reopening party for museum

Asbestos was found during renovation work at the museum

A museum hit by an asbestos scare is planning a reopening celebration to mark its 10th anniversary.

The Haig Colliery mining museum in Whitehaven, has been closed since 10 July, when asbestos was discovered in its cellar.

Following work to remove the contamination threat, staff were allowed back into the building on 11 August.

But the public are still barred from the site until further work is done to free the area from possible health risks.

John Greasley, secretary of the museum's charitable trust, said: "We will be appointing a contractor to carry out the necessary work very soon.

"After that, it should only be a couple of weeks before we are open again to the public."

Expansion plan

Mr Greasley said the museum had been given cash by English Heritage to help fund the clean-up operation.

English Heritage awarded a grant of £35,000 to investigate improvements and expansion of the premises.

Mr Greasley added: "We are planning a big reopening ceremony, which we will also combine with our 10th anniversary celebrations.

"It was in November 1993, that the museum was saved when campaigners bought it for £1.

"But we are going to bring that anniversary forward a bit and have a massive reopening party."

Mr Greasley said the closure has cost the museum "thousands of pounds" over the summer.