THE bells are about to ring out again at a church dating back to Saxon times.

A new bell frame and six bells arrived yesterday at St Andrew's Church, at Middleton, near Pickering, North Yorkshire, as the latest stage in the restoration of the building.

The church's original four bells were removed in July, allowing the inside of the tower to be re-pointed while they were restored.

The new bell frame will hold six bells - the original four plus a restored second-hand bell, and a new one cast as a gift from the Keltek Trust.

The four original bells will be heard again following the completion of flooring work in the tower.

And on November 30 - the Feast of St Andrew - the Bishop of Whitby, the Right Reverend Robert Ladds, will dedicate the two additional bells and the bellframe, allowing the full ring of six bells to be heard for the first time.

Churchwarden John Arthur, leader of the bellringers, said: "We are all glad to know that our bells are returning and the work on restoring the church is progressing.

"Much remains to be done between now and November 30 and we are thankful to our volunteers who have worked almost unnoticed - clearing the tower out and painting - who will be undertaking much of the carpentry and building work over the next few weeks."