LEGAL action has been launched to return the iconic Bluebird to its rightful owners after relationships have been ‘irretrievably broken down’.

The world watched in horror back in 1967 when speed legend Donald Campbell was killed while attempting to set a new water speed world record on Coniston.

The wreckage, which the Campbell family gifted to Coniston’s Ruskin Museum in 2006, was handed over to Tyneside engineer Bill Smith on the understanding that, once restored, it would be returned to Coniston.

However, despite the completion of an £800,000 purpose-built extension to house the boat in 2010, Coniston is still to see the boat’s return.

Almost two decades after the wreckage of Bluebird was pulled from the bottom of Coniston its future still hangs in the balance.

In January last year Mr Campbell’s daughter Gina spoke out in an attempt to solve the saga and urged the man behind the Bluebird’s restoration to return the boat to its rightful owners.

However, at the time Mr Smith, and his team at The Bluebird Project, insisted they were in the right – and said we ‘remain committed as ever to displaying Bluebird K7 in Coniston’.

Now the trustees of the Coniston Institute & Ruskin Museum have announced that they have started the process against Bill Smith and the directors of The Bluebird Project

A spokesman said: “It is with profound sadness that the Trustees of the Coniston Institute & Ruskin Museum can confirm they have started the process against Bill Smith and the directors of The Bluebird Project to gain possession of their property namely the record breaking jet hydroplane K7 formerly owned by Donald Campbell CBE. This action is very much the last resort, with relationships having irretrievably broken down in late 2019, following efforts by The Museum and the Campbell Family Heritage Trust (CFHT) who gifted the boat to The Museum in 2006, to find an amicable solution to the claims made by Mr Smith regarding ownership and his intentions for the boat.

“It is not our intention to comment further on this dispute in public but rather allow matters to be addressed by the lawyers who represent each party.”

The Westmorland Gazette attempted to contact Bill Smith but could not reach him before this publication went to print.