EXTRA cash could be on its way to help the reclamation of Worsley's Old Warke Dam.

Salford City Council chiefs are bidding for £500,000 to help clean up the historic waterway area and Mersey Basin Campaign (MBC) officers have now written to confirm the scheme is on its list of priorities for funding within the next three to four years.

The dam -- together with nearby Worsley Delph which could be in line for a further £150,000 grant -- could be due to benefit from North West Development Agency (NWDA) funding.

The improvements to the two attractions will form an integral part of a developing tourism strategy for the Worsley area, led by residents and the local community committee.

In a letter from deputy chief executive Louise Hopkins, the Mersey Basin Campaign has confirmed the two projects have gained priority status in their funding programme.

She said: "We are trying to push for a regional programme of waterside reclamation. These are among 350 projects and have scored highly in our shortlisting process designed to help us prioritise those schemes.

"More work now has to be done on these projects to enable us to prepare a detailed funding application to NWDA."

Salford City Council's environmental services lead member, Cllr David Lancaster said: "This announcement is a key step forward towards us attracting the funding we need."