A MARINE salvage company may begin work to remove a grounded barge from Weymouth Bay tomorrow, councillors heard.

The town's harbourmaster, Bill Chambers, told borough councillors that salvagers would need to complete at least a 48-hour assessment of the Longsand and the surrounding area it grounded in before removing any part of the wreck.

The Longsand slipped from mooring lines and ran aground in Bowleaze Cove last October after the tug that was towing it stopped to make repairs.

A report by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council officers for members of the harbour management committee said the cost of removing the barge could come to £40,000 and that would be 'charged to the harbour'.

The report added that the harbour management committee could request that the cost be covered from the council's general reserves.

The report also said it was 'unlikely' that the council would be able to recover the cost from the barge's owners.

Mr Chambers told members that the council may eventually have to pursue a claim against the owners of the Longsand through the courts.

Referring to the potential £40,000 removal cost, Coun Grant Leighton asked: "Is it really necessary to remove it?"

Coun John Birtwistle added that there are already a number of wrecks in and around the bay, pointing out that some are explored recreationally by divers.

Mr Chambers said the barge was now a 'danger to navigation in the area' for a variety of bay users and that the barge was now a twisted heap of rusted metal below the surface of the water.' Mr Chambers said an Exeter-based salvage company would be deploying a vessel from Southampton to salvage the barge.

He said the removal crew could be in Weymouth Bay tomorrow to assess the wreck's condition before getting to work on removing it.

Councillors heard the salvage part of the operation would involve cutting up and removing the barge in sections, with separate recoveries of the vessel's wheelhouse and a digger that was on board, both of which are now resting separately in the sea.