A bid to clean up a York war memorial 100 years after it was unveiled has been given the go-ahead.

City of York Council has approved Network Rail’s application to clean the North Eastern Railway War Memorial, in Station Rise.

When the plans were first revealed in August they were welcomed by York Normandy veteran Ken Cooke, who said it was 'about time'.

He told The Press in August: “It is disgusting. It was getting to the point where I was going to take a bar of soap and do it myself!

Ken Cooke in NormandyKen Cooke in Normandy

“It’s a memorial to the lads who didn’t come home, and it should be looked after. It is there for a very good purpose, so I’m very pleased that they are going to clean it.”

The plans were also welcomed by York Normandy veteran Joseph Wood, who served on a minesweeper clearing mines from the approach to the Normandy beaches.

Speaking in August, the 99-year-old said: “We shouldn’t forget those who gave their lives.

“It should be cleaned as a mark of respect.”

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Public pressure has been mounting for several years to clean the memorial.

Network Rail’s plans stated the works aimed to clean the monument’s stonework which has deteriorated due to water damage and pollution and plant and lichen growth.

A council report stated the works would help to restore a historically significant monument bearing the names of railway workers who lost their lives in the world wars.

The North Eastern Railway Memorial was unveiled in 1924 close to the company’s York headquarters, now The Grand Hotel.

The names of 2,236 men who worked for the company who lost their lives in the First World War are recorded on its screen walls.

A total of 15 slate panels to the rear of the Stone of Remembrance bear the names of 551 railway workers who fought and died in the Second World War.

Bronze plaques featuring the names of the soldiers who died in the First World War were put up on the city walls next to the monument in 2011.

The memorial was designed by architect Sir Edwin Lutyens and it was put up in 1923 and formally unveiled in a ceremony a year later.

The names of all soldiers on the memorial are also recorded in a book of remembrance at the nearby National Railway Museum.

Network Rail’s application stated a special low-pressure cleaning system would be used to restore the monument.

Stonework and mortar repairs along with re-pointing are also set to take place as part of the works.

Network Rail’s plans stated the condition of the memorial had deteriorated in recent years.

The plans stated: “The current soiling could have arisen from a number of causes.

“Stone can change colour naturally as it weathers and is exposed to the elements.

“Algae and lichens can be common on stonework, whilst not necessarily harmful they can be disfiguring.”