Burton's famous Ferry Bridge is finally to be restored to its former glory - complete with a cast-iron plate bearing the name of the original engineers.

The Friends of the Ferry Bridge, who were instrumental in refurbishment of the historic structure, have been given the green light to replace a cast-iron maker's plate acknowledging the names of the original engineers - Thornewill AND Warham Engineers, Burton on Trent.

East Staffordshire Borough Council has given the go-ahead for the new maker's plate, which will join three original plates on each of the three towers and match their exact size and paint.

The Ferry Bridge was closed for the majority of 2015 as Staffordshire County Council funded £1.3 million worth of work to revamp the ailing structure. It was reopened more than a year ago to great fanfare.

But a maker's plate was still missing, having been removed years earlier after it was damaged.

The maker's plate will be an exact replica of the original

In their submission to the council for the new plate, the Friends of the Ferry Bridge said: "During this refurbishment one of the maker's name plates situated on one of the four pillars was found to be missing and not replaced.

"It is to this end that we have agreed to pay for a name plate to be made in the same materials and paint finish as the original three plates still on the bridge tower.

"The original plate was removed as it had developed a split making it unsafe. The date of removal cannot be ascertained, unfortunately, but we had managed to prove that it was removed after the bridge was listed in June 1979.

"We are of the opinion that replacing the missing maker's plate would be the final touch to a magnificent refurbishment of one of the town’s most beautiful features."

The name Thornewill AND Warham Engineers, Burton on Trent will now be proudly displayed on the plate.

It comes after a recent appeal over the bridge's four missing cast-iron tower plinths which once held the impressive lion structures in place.

The towers were removed in 1969 for an original revamp of the Ferry Bridge but were never returned and are now missing. However, at least two of the lions are on display at the National Brewery Centre while another two may be in storage.