Belgian plans puffer project

The boat is tied up at a pier in Galway

A Belgian living in Ireland is planning to restore a rare Clyde puffer.

The boats, made famous by the BBC television series Para Handy, were used to move cargos between small island and coastal communities.

Bob Bogaert wants to save the Pibroch, which is currently derelict and tied up at a pier in Galway.

He estimated the project will take five years - but admitted he does not know how much it will cost to get the boat back into sea-going condition.

The diesel-engined Pibroch was built on the Clyde in the mid-1950s for a company of whisky distillers.

'Significant development'

It was eventually sold in the late 1980s to shipping interests in Ireland.

However, it became too expensive to run and was taken out of service and tied up at Letterfrack.

Maritime historians in Scotland said that the preservation of the Pibroch would be a "significant development".

They have, however, said that Mr Bogaert may not have realised how costly the project could become.

Puffers were given prominence by the BBC drama Para Handy, which was based on the lives of a fictional crew.