BRITANNIA rules the waves again after a unique piece of Southampton history has been restored to its full glory.

A ship's figurehead in the shape of the female warrior was one of the centrepieces on board Queen Elizabeth 2 but after more than three decades the carving was in need of repair.

The signs of wear and tear were spotted by passenger Abigail Wright, a professional wood carver, and she offered to restore Britannia.

Today, at a special ceremony in London, the figurehead was revealed again after months of painstaking work by Abigail.

Britannia was officially unveiled by Captain Ron Warwick, master of QE2, on board the former Royal Navy warship HMS Belfast, now permanently moored on the River Thames, where Abigail works as the vessel's wood-carver in residence.

A spokesman for QE2 said: "We are delighted to have Britannia back. She will rejoin the ship as soon as possible.

"When QE2 first entered service in 1969, the figurehead was on prominent display in the then Britannia restaurant but subsequently it was moved to another part of the ship.

"After 33 years of close attention by thousands of passengers the figurehead was in need of repair so we are very grateful to Abigail for restoring her beauty.''