Bid to halt Cutty Sark rust

Scientists are set for a radical move to save the Cutty Sark - Britain's best loved ship - for future generations.

An experiment will see the nineteenth century tea clipper flooded with an electrolyte solution. Electricity will then be passed through the water in a bid to remove severe rusting which is eating through the ship.

The last-ditch effort to preserve the "Lady Of The Sea" is just part of a multimillion-pound restoration of the Cutty Sark, which requires a successful bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund. The ship, built in 1869, was known as one of the fastest in existence when it transported tea from China and wool from Australia. It was moved to dry dock in Greenwich and opened by the Queen in 1957.

Today there is a new campaign to raise funds for a £10 million restoration of the only ship to be a Grade I listed structure. Structural engineer Ian Lawton said of the rust treatment: "This is the first time in the world it has been done."

The first attempts at the clean-up will be shown tonight at 11.15pm on BBC1.