THE HISTORICAL Calshot tug, which is currently being restored, narrowly escaped serious damage in a fire on board the ship.

Ten firefighters attended a fire reported to have started on the wooden fender at the bow of the ship which is currently docked at Southampton's Eastern Docks.

Watch officer Mark Palmer of Redbridge Fire Station said: "The fire started at around 10pm last night and was believed to have started from a spark from some welding work which was being carried out.

"We managed to put the fire out in an hour but it was very close as the paint store was quite nearby to where the fire had started."

The wooden fender was mostly destroyed and will need to be replaced before further restoration work on Calshot can resume.

Restoration work is currently being undertaken by the charity the Tug Tender Calshot Trust who began working to restore the 1929 ship nine years ago.

The Calshot tug has manoeuvered the world's greatest ocean liners including the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, and during the Second World War the 566 passenger tug ferried troops to and from both Queens.