THE bells from a Teesside church could soon be sited in a more prominent location as part of £117,500 refurbishment.

The bells from the parish church of St Hilda's were relocated in the 1970s to the rear of All Saints Church in central Middlesbrough.

St Hilda's Church was demolished in 1969, having been built mainly through public subscription in 1840, and the bells are a lasting reminder of its historical importance to the town.

Middlesbrough Council is asking members to waive standing orders to allow them to award the refurbishment contract to Miller Construction, who are already working on the nearby MIMA site.

Councillor David Budd, the authority's executive member for regeneration, said the bells deserved to be seen by more people instead of being tucked away.

He said: "A lot of people don't even know where the bells are located at the moment. These are really important to the history of the town and they should be on prominent display.

"We have been trying for some time to find an appropriate way to display them and this scheme certainly fits the bill."

The original intention had been to create a structure on which to display the bells and artist Simon Watkinson developed the scheme to the construction stage before the project was put out to tender.

All the prices received at that stage far exceeded the available budget of £95,000, with the lowest being £224,000.

To prevent the project being scrapped, the council's Single Regeneration Budget Board (SRB) revised its budget and agreed to set aside £117,500.

The cash is made up of £72,000 SRB funding, £43,000 from the council and £2,500 from the local Rotary Club.

Coun Budd said: "The bells will be cleaned before being placed in front of the church where they can be appreciated. The moving of the bells will tie in nicely with all of the regeneration work that is currently going on in the town and it is a way of blending the old with the new."

Miller Construction has agreed to carry out the work for a maximum cost of £110,000.

The decision to waive standing orders and appoint the construction firm will be taken by the authority's executive meeting on Monday, June 13.