The next phase of the Ramsey Pier restoration is all set to take place in the spring.

Replacement steelwork for bays two and three has been fabricated at a foundry in Glasgow.

Six girders and sets of cross trusses plus diagonal bracing arms have been loaded onto a lorry ready for them to be sent to be galvanised and have specialist marine paint applied.

They are due to be delivered to Ramsey by Mezeron by early February.

The Queen’s Pier Restoration Trust posted: ’The steel for bays two and three has begun its journey.

’We hope to start to fit the steel on to the pier next spring.’

The Trust signed a five-year lease with the government in July 2017 to refurbish the first three bays of the Victorian landmark.

A first major milestone in the project took place over three days in May when corroded iron girders and cross bars on bay one were replaced with new steel.

Steelwork for the next two bays was ordered in November. The big lift operations for bays two and three are expected to be carried out separately to spread the workload.

There are 60 bays in total and eventually all the ironwork along the length of the pier will have to be replaced.

Volunteers have been working on bay one to bolt down 10 large transverse larch beams onto the girders with stainless steel rods.

As this bay is double the width of the others, it has been split into north and south sections with work focusing on the south side first. All the longitudinal timbers called stringers have been laid on the beams on this section.

When work resumes in the new year, the team will test place some decking planks before repeating the timber work on the north side.

Having each layer at right angles to the one below - planks, stringers, beams and girders - provides immense strength to the structure.

The plan following completion of bay one is to have small groups of visitors go onto the pier at specially arranged times.