Development of a new visitor attraction featuring a German U Boat is underway at Woodside Ferry Terminal in the Wirral, Merseyside.

Merseytravel is now set to develop the tourist attraction, following approval from Wirral Council.

The U534 submarine will be cut into three sections faced with huge glass panels to allow visitors to see the interior from specially built viewing platforms.

The visitor exhibition centre will also showcase artefacts from the submarine, alongside its history as a vehicle for meteorological purposes in the Second World War.

Neil Scales, chief executive of Merseytravel, which also owns and operates Mersey Ferries, said: “The U Boat exhibition will also complement both the Resurgum, the world’s first submarine, a full scale model of which is located on the north side of the ferry terminal, as well the historic connection between the Mersey Ferries and U Boats through the 1918 Zeebrugge raid.

”Mersey Ferries are already the most popular paid-for attraction in our region and this development will reaffirm that position.

“We also have Spaceport located at the Seacombe Ferry Terminal which has proved tremendously popular and we also have plans for attracting tourists to the new £10m ferry terminal at Pier Head.”