A PUBLIC art trail that stretches 33 miles from Salford is to get a new lease of life thanks to pioneering satellite technology.

The Irwell Sculpture trail features work by international artists on a route from the city centre to the moors near Bacup in Lancashire.

But over the years many of the signs explaining the sculptures have been vandalised or eroded by the weather.

Now the four councils covering the route have won a £420,000 Arts Council grant to improve the trail - and some of the money will be used for a high-tech system that automatically sends information to visitors' mobile phones.

The Arts Council says the use of new technology will help young people and community groups to 'actively engage' with the artworks.

Many of the sculptures on the trail, launched in 1996, depict links with local heritage and industry.

One of them, called In the Picture, by Richard Craink, is a giant frame about five metres high, highlighting a magnificent view of the valley.

Salford, Rossendale and Bury councils and Lancashire County Council are carrying out an audit of the trail to prioritise where the money should be spent.

Shirley Lundstram, Salford's arts and cultural development manager, said: "We want local people to become actively involved in helping to manage the trail. Some of the artworks always had a limited time span but the grant will enable us to inspect them, restore them and redevelop the trail into a major tourist attraction."

Rossendale will be the first stretch of the trail to be considered in the review. New routes will also be developed to link to other future tourist attractions such as the Rossendale Adrenaline Gateway, a scheme to move the local ski slope and introduce other extreme sports such as mountain biking.

Rossendale councillor Peter Steen, who is in charge of promoting tourism, said: "The trail needs a considerable amount of money to bring it up to the desired standard. However, this initial funding is a good start." Tweet