Working-class hero Andy Capp is to be immortalised in sculpture in his home town of Hartlepool later this year.

Adrian Worsley, who also likes a jar, propped up the bar with the man behind the plan, and discovered how the cartoon character could be turned into another North-East tourist attraction.

IF YOU like booze, tabs and gambling, he's probably your hero. If you prefer cafe lattes, herbal cigarettes and would rather spend your money on ethically-grown coffee beans, he's probably not.

Either way, Andy Capp will always provoke a reaction - and it's that response the people behind a new statue of the cartoon legend hope to provoke.

Whether he's nipping over the pub for a cheeky pint or studying the form at the bookies, the late Reg Smythe's creation is either a searing indictment of the idle northern male, or something to aspire to.

Now Hartlepool's most famous export is going to be immortalised in his favourite pose - propping up the bar.

And with a renowned sculptor signed up to fashion his famous mug out of bronze, the man behind the bid is confident Andy Capp can "do an Eric Morecambe" for Hartlepool.

Kevin Kelly, chairman of the Headland Town Council, reckons the 5ft statue could become a major tourist attraction.

"Morecambe in Lancashire practically trebled its tourist figures overnight when they opened their statue of Eric Morecambe," said Mr Kelly, who sportingly wore an Andy Capp badge on his shirt pocket for the interview.

"People are already coming to Hartlepool to see the Marina, HMS Trincomalee, Heugh Battery and St Hilda's Church.

"Hartlepool was on the Holiday Programme last year, after all. It's just a matter of having the nerve to do these things."

It's not just nerve they need, however - money would be handy as well. Hartlepool Borough Council has agreed to help find a suitable location - the town square on the Headland is favourite at the moment - but the £20,000 cost must come from donations.

As fundraising for the scheme gets under way, Shropshire sculptor Jane Robbins has been approached to carry out the work and has already completed a miniature version, or a maquette as it's known in the business.

The statue has the backing of Reg Smythe's family. Ian Smyth Herdman, a cousin of Reg, thinks it would act as a tribute to its creator - not a monument to the misogynist myth of the northern male as some have suggested.

He said: "Andy Capp was just the portrayal of a fictional person that represented thousands all over the country.

"His early drawings did show him as a wife-beater, but Reg quickly changed that, and in the end it was Flo who had him under the cosh."

* Anyone who would like to make a donation should sent it to the Town Clerk, Headland Town Council, Middlegate, Hartlepool, TS24 0JD.