THE bells of Holy Trinity Parish Church will ring out once more.

The only full peal of bells in Horwich arrived back at the church on Wednesday after being taken down in January for major restoration work.

The task of hauling the bells into the tower is now under way, but church officials are confident they will be in place by next Friday.

And campanologists cannot wait to ring the bells again.

Tower captain Arthur Green said: "Everything went well on Wednesday and, all being well, the bells will be rung on the first Sunday of July.

"People have been stopping me in the street asking when the bells are coming back."

Corrosion of the bell frames meant they had to be taken down for only the second time since the churchs was built in 1831.

Two workmen spent a week removing the eight bells which weigh between 423lb (158kg) and 1,752lb (654kg) - from the bell tower at the Chorley Old Road church.

While the bells were being restored, the tower also underwent refurbishment, including repairing the louvres to keep out rain.

The bells have rung out in Horwich since 1831 after being donated by Joseph Ridgeway, a prominent local.

They were removed 100 years later to be recast.

The bells will ring out in celebration on the first Sunday of next month, not only to mark their return, but also the marriage of one of the bell ringers earlier this year.

Mr Green, who has been a bell ringer for 28 years, said: "It is hard to explain to people who are not involved. But these bells are very close to my heart.

"While they were gone, it was like a piece of me was missing."