Works to revamp Whitehaven harbour are well under way - with the spruce-up of an iconic landmark now complete.

Improvements to the town's Crow's Nest are finished and the public can now access the popular viewing platform on the marina again.

The refurb has included cleaning the outer shell, replacing the benches, varnishing the handrail, painting the inner dome, and varnishing and painting the flooring.

John Baker, CEO of Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners, said it was nice to see people enjoying the newly improved structure.

"We think it's made a real difference. I saw a family having a picnic in there last night, which was nice to see. It's there to be used.

"It's a lot smarter now. We're really pleased. Hopefully we can use it for events in the future.

"It looks really smart. We just want people to respect that and look after it. It's back in shape and ready to be an asset to the community."

The clean-up of the Crow's Nest comes ahead of the coast to coast challenge which takes place this weekend and will see hundreds of cyclists descend on the harbour to set off on the 200 mile journey.

Whitehaven Town Council has worked alongside the Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners to make sure the marina looks its finest for the event.

The project has involved the addition of beautiful hanging baskets, funded by Whitehaven Town Council, as well as a general clean up of all areas.

The coast to coast challenge begins at Whitehaven harbour before participants embark on the three-day journey across the northern fells of Cumbria, through the Yorkshire Dales and skirting past the North York Moors before finishing just north of Scarborough.

As the official starting point of the route, the riders congregate in Whitehaven to enjoy the unique sights, sounds and surroundings of the harbour before setting off.

Mr Baker is now looking ahead to further improvements on the town's harbour.

He said: "We're hoping that the Old Quay lights will be up and running soon, so that will be good. We're just continuing to look at ways in which we can improve the look and feel of it.

"It's really beautiful weather and a lot of people are coming down so it will make a difference to the experience.

"We've got lots of plans to get it to a gold standard experience. We're going to keep working towards it."