THE National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere Port has confirmed it will reopen next month.

The popular visitor attraction, which boasts one of the greatest collections of boats and objects in the world, closed its doors on March 20 following the coronavirus outbreak.

Yesterday the Government confirmed that museums could reopen from July 4 in the latest easing of the coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

As a result, the museum says it will begin operating again towards the end of July – around four months after it temporarily shut.

Ani Sutton, Museum & Attraction Manager for the Canal & River Trust, said: "We are pleased to announce that we will re-open our national waterway museum at Ellesmere Port in late July.

"There's been significant planning going on to ensure that when we re-open we are ready to do so safely, with the correct hygiene and social distancing measures in place to ensure that our visitors, colleagues and volunteers are all safe.

"We are also continuing to review our plans to re-open Anderton Boat Lift visitor centre and grounds, which we hope to share with you soon."