Bluebird: Campbell's daughter says craft will return to Coniston Water

The restored craft is being taken apart at North Shields workshop

The daughter of Donald Campbell says Bluebird "will be magnificent again" after a bitter row over its future saw its restoration taken apart.

The wreckage of the craft in which he died was recovered from Coniston Water by Bill Smith, who has been rebuilding it in North Shields.

Mr Smith said half was built "from scratch" by his team, and the original parts would be returned to a museum.

Gina Campbell said her father would be "turning in his grave" over events.

The rebuilt Bluebird underwent trials in Scotland in 2018

The wreckage - found by Mr Smith in 2001 - had been given to the Ruskin Museum in Coniston, Cumbria, by Ms Campbell in 2006, on the understanding it would be restored.

However, a row erupted between Mr Smith and the museum over what should happen to it.

Campbell died while attempting to break the water speed record on Coniston Water in 1967.

Donald Campbell was killed during his world record attempt on Coniston Water in January 1967

"Bluebird is an iconic, historic machine, that belongs in the Lake District along with my father's legacy," his daughter said.

"It should not be, with due respect, in a lock-up in North Shields.

"But she will be back - that I tell you - and she will be running on the lake again."

The museum maintains it was agreed Bluebird would be put on permanent display in a special wing and has repeatedly asked for it to be handed over.

Mr Smith and the restoration team want it to be run on the water as it was in Bute in 2018.

"We'll give the scrap back to the museum and we'll build the bits we don't have and we'll be back on the water," he said.

Gina Campbell says Bluebird will be "magnificent" once again

"Then we'll not have any shenanigans because it'll be our boat, and that'll be that."

Ms Campbell said it was "disrespectful" to describe Bluebird as "scrap", but once the museum receives it, "she will be magnificent again".

"It's going to happen with expediency, as soon as we get our original Bluebird back, not our bits, not our scrap - what a way to describe Bluebird.

"It's disgraceful, it's dishonourable, it's disrespectful - she will be magnificent again and she will grace this building."

Bill Smith recovered Bluebird's wreckage in 2001