PLANS to restore the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal have been boosted by a £300,000 Government cash injection.

The grant will fund a tunnel to carry the canal under the final section of the Manchester and Salford inner relief road.

Margaret Fletcher, chairman of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Society, said: "I am delighted the money is being made available.

"We had been concerned about the effects of the inner relief road on the prospects for the canal.

"It's pleasing to see a positive outcome from our 14 years of campaigning."

Transport minister John Spellar said the grant reflected the importance of Britain's waterways.

Without the tunnel, next to Prince's Bridge, Salford, the new road would have blocked the path of the 15-mile canal, making any future restoration virtually impossible.

Dave Fletcher, British Waterways chief executive, said: "Restoring our 2,000 mile waterway network is bringing real benefits to the public."

The canal was opened in 1796 to link Bolton and Bury to the River Irwell and was mainly used to carry coal, timber and passengers to the city centre.

The advent of railways led to a drastic cut in canal traffic and it was abandoned in 1961.

The Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Society was formed in 1987 in a bid to restore the waterway.