More boats will soon be able to moor on a historic waterfront.

Work to extend the visitor pontoons in King’s Lynn is set to start on Monday as part of bid to boost interest in sailing in the Wash.

Sail the Wash, which received Coastal Communities funding of £679,000 in March 2019, is designed to create more opportunities for leisure craft to visit the area.

They include improvements to moorings at King’s Lynn and Sutton Bridge next year, along with promoting the Wash to boaters to attract water-borne tourism.

The Wash is a designated European Marine Site, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is incorporated into the Greater Wash Special Protection Area, which provides a unique experience for leisure boating in the UK and from further afield.

Peter Gidney, cabinet member for project delivery at West Norfolk council, said: “This venture will increase the capacity of the moorings and strengthen Kings Lynn’s position as a destination for UK and international maritime visitors.

This important development widens the scope of tourism for West Norfolk and the UK. Further funding opportunities to develop this theme are being looked at as well.

“This work represents the first steps towards that goal. Covid has caused some delays to the programme, but we are pressing ahead to get the works completed within the funding time scales. We hope to be promoting the enhanced facility for the next season.

“We are already working on an updated website with up-to-date navigation and anchorage surveys, which will make it easier and safer for leisure boats to travel between ports.”

Improvements to the visitor pontoons in King’s Lynn will increase the number of leisure boats that can moored on them.

The work is set to take around eight weeks to complete subject to weather and tides, while a marine mammal observer will be on site throughout to ensure there is no harm to marine life. The pontoons will be closed to vessels while the work is completed, but there will be no impact on the nearby quay.