ESSENTIAL repair work on Blackburn Cathedral is going well and will be completed by the end of next month.

Canon Andrew Hindley said the scaffolding surrounding much of the building will be down well in time for preparations to start on its Christmas festivities.

Repairs are being made to the West Tower, the North Transept, and East End of the Cathedral thanks to a £200,000 grant from the government's World War One Memorial Fund.

Canon Hindley said: "We are most grateful for this grant from the government which means money does not have to be raised locally.

"It is all about making the building safe and watertight for the future.

"The work is going smoothly to schedule and will be completed and the scaffolding will be down by the end of November, well time for the Cathedral's Christmas festivities."

The work is been carried out by Heritage Restoration and Conservation Northwest, who also carried out works in 2015/16.