TV tram that killed Coronation Street villain Alan Bradley saved

The nation was gripped as Alan Bradley chased Rita Fairclough into the path of a tram on Blackpool's seafront in the 1989 episode

The tram that knocked down and killed Coronation Street villain Alan Bradley will have a new home in a museum after it was saved.

The episode which saw Bradley chase his long-suffering partner Rita Fairclough into the path of the tram in Blackpool was watched by 27 million people.

The tram was facing eviction from its old home and £2,500 was needed to move it to Blackpool's Tramtown Museum.

A public appeal has now raised the money needed to rescue it.

The money was to transport it from nearby Fleetwood. The land where it had been kept will be used for a different purpose so the tram could not stay there.

The double-decker vehicle, known as tram number 710, is currently at Fleetwood Docks

Tramtown volunteer and councillor Paul Galley told the BBC: "We are speaking to the hauliers to see when we can actually transport it.

"But this is when all the work starts and we hope to unveil it in 2023 and get a Coronation Street star to open the attraction."

He said there was a plan to create a special area at the museum dedicated to the long-running soap and "give the tram back its 1980s look".

"We know it will be popular as 'where is the tram that killed Alan Bradley?' is the most popular question we get asked by visitors to Tramtown."

Alan Bradley's death is one of the most memorable scenes in Coronation Street's history

The double-decker, which is known as tram number 710, has been owned by the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust and based on land at Fleetwood Docks.

The tram needs to be in its new home by the end of the year.