A REPLICA crane will not be installed at Diglis Marina despite a 10-year campaign from a passionate resident.

The small crane, which sat by the waterside in Diglis Basin, was moved during the redevelopment work at the start of the 21st century, and was stolen while in a lock-up.

Diglis resident Will Richards has spent more than a decade trying to restore or return the crane, stolen during part of the regeneration of the area back in 2008.

READ MORE: Diglis crane stolen more than a decade ago still not returned

Mr Richards said: "I believe that we need to be protecting our architectural heritage, and by not doing something about this, it is almost like throwing our history away.

"We should be protecting them because there is so little left. Those in charge of its care, Worcester City Council and the Canal and Rivers Trust, have a duty to protect it.

"The worst thing that we can do is when we have diminishing artefacts left from our history, especially when they show the importance of our commercial and industrial history which Diglis played a huge part with, is let them fade away."

A spokesperson for the Canal and River Trust said as they do not own the land, permission and funding would need to be obtained.

They said: "The land the crane sat on was sold many years ago, so when our heritage team spoke with Mr Richards, they weren’t aware of the full history of the site as they weren’t in post when the land was sold off and the crane went missing.

"The problem we have is there isn’t detailed information available on what the missing crane looked like so it would be difficult to create a replica without this info.

"What we did suggest was that interpretation may work better to tell the story of the crane and its links with the canal however this would be subject to funding being found for this and planning approvals.

"We are supportive of the campaign to restore the crane at Diglis Basin, and we hope one day this will happen.

"It's upsetting to see canal heritage disappear and we would be delighted if the original crane was found and once again installed alongside the canal."

READ MORE: How did we allow this theft under our noses?

A Worcester City Council spokesman said it is now not possible for a replica to be installed in the area.

They said: “Following the theft of the crane while it was in storage, the developer worked with the Council to agree to amendments to planning conditions that required a replica crane be made and installed within 18 months of the first occupation of any dwelling.

"The Council had 10 years to enforce this condition. We understand that the first dwelling was occupied around 2008, so it is not now possible for any action to be taken on this matter.

“It is obviously regrettable that a replica crane will not be installed on the site."

"The City Council hopes to be able to explore the possibility of working with the Canal and River Trust to find a way of commemorating the historical importance of the crane at the location where it stood for 150 years.”