A HISTORIC canal towpath between Radcliffe and Bury is to have a £200,000 upgrade.

Work is about to start on resurfacing the route alongside the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal.

A link between Radcliffe Metrolink station and the canal, which runs alongside Coney Green High School, will also be improved. The project is among those made possible by a £737,000 grant from the Regional Development Agency and the Countryside Agency.

For safety reasons, the towpath section will be closed for two or three months while the work takes place, overseen by British Waterways.

Councillor Wayne Campbell, environment and transport chairman, said: "The stretch of canal between Radcliffe and Daisyfield provides the sort of lovely views you often see on chocolate box covers or calendar illustrations. "Sadly the same cannot be said of the towpath, which is difficult enough for able-bodied people to negotiate and virtually impossible for those pushing a pram, in a wheelchair or with mobility problems."

Coun Campbell said this was a pity, given that such an obvious route into the country was so close to Radcliffe town centre and the Metrolink.

The towpath is used regularly by fishermen and is part of the Irwell Sculpture Trail. It will eventually form part of the Manchester to Preston leg of the National Cycle Network.

Bury planning officer Chris Wilkinson, who drew up the scheme, said the towpath was often waterlogged because it was rutted adding: "We intend to use a form of surfacing know as Addastone.

"It looks like crushed stone, but provides a sealed surface with a performance like Tarmac. We thought that this would offer a practical and sympathetic treatment."

A one-metre strip will be left unsurfaced at the water's side for use by anglers.

Coun Campbell added: "There has been much talk about eventually re-opening the canal for navigation, but in the meantime this scheme will at least allow more people to enjoy the immediate countryside."