The Mayor and Mayoress switch on the grotto Pic: Peter Kelly

The West Grotto in Miller Park has been officially switched on by Preston City Council.

A major restoration project taking five months has seen the grotto restored to its magical best.

It can now be lit up and controlled by a new control panel fitted at the base of one of the rock pools.

City Council Mayor councillor Nick Pomfret turned on the grotto in a special ceremony on Thursday from 4.30pm.

He said: “Such is the eager anticipation of the public to see the West Grotto feature fully restored and in working order once more, I am honoured to be invited to carry out the unveiling.

“A tremendous amount of hard work, design, planning and funding has gone into this project, and Preston should be proud of this achievement.

“The restored West Grotto feature now provides yet another reason to visit the beautiful Avenham and Miller Parks on your trip to Preston.”

You can control the lights on the grotto yourself with the new control panel Pic: Peter Kelly

The grotto has been in the park since 1869 but required a major facelift to bring it back into working order.

Have you seen the new look grotto? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below