FILMING of a new ITV drama at the Grange Lido last week shows the facility could regularly earn valuable revenue as a setting for location filming.

That is the claim of the group campaigning to restore the currently disused facility, which has been closed for almost three decades.

The crime drama The Bay, which features the likes of The A Word's Morven Christie , Scott & Bailey and ex-Coronation Street star Tracie Bennett and former EastEnders actress Lindsay Coulson, is mostly set around Morecambe.

But filming, which began in August, is also taking place in the surrounding area and last week the cameras were at the Lido with cast members, film crew and vehicles forming a notable presence in the area with a number dressed as police officers.

And the 'Save Grange Lido' group said the filming showed the potential for the historic lido as a film location and strengthened the case for it to be restored to its former glory.

"It's great that TV viewers from across the UK will be able to see the historic lido and the lovely views across Morecambe Bay," said Save Grange Lido chairman Phil Bradby.

"Other operating lidos across the country are very popular as film locations and we expect to bring in some extra revenue from filming once the pool is fully restored."

Opened in 1932, the lido consists of an outdoor saltwater pool surrounded by additional facilities and is now Grade II listed, a status which prevents it from being demolished.

The only surviving seaside lido in the North of England, it closed in 1999 and its future is currently under review.

South Lakeland District Council, which owns the site, have considered a £2m plan to infill the pool and restore the buildings, but the campaigners recently submitted a 3,000 signature petition, with 14,000 more signing online, demanding a pool facility be included in the restoration plan.

The matter will be debated at a full council meeting next month.