ENGINEER Harry Smith is in the running to be named as a seaside borough's greatest local hero.

Although his work went largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Mr Smith has been described as the hand which laid out Scarborough.

He was borough engineer from 1897 to 1933 and was responsible for laying out many of the resort's attractions: the town's gardens; the Open Air Theatre in North Bay; the open air pool in South Bay and Marine Drive.

A trial was held in the Scarborough Council chamber last week to determine the final name to be put forward for the honour of being named as local greatest hero.

The case for Mr Smith was put forward by Keith Johnston.

He said: "He was not just a devoted servant of the town, but a visionary.

"He has been described as a landscape artist who transformed Scarborough into a pleasure garden by the sea."

Previous trials have seen geologist William Smith and the Reverend Robert Balgarnie go through to the final.

All 11 heroes nominated will feature in an exhibition at Scarborough's Rotunda Museum in July and on an accompanying CD Rom for schools and libraries.

The Local Heroes - Trial By Jury project is run by Scarborough's Museums and Gallery Service, with Heritage Lottery funding.