TWO North Yorkshire ports are to be improved after the Government gave them the go-ahead to borrow more than half a million pounds.

Whitby will receive the larger amount, a total of £425,000 for the work that includes the renewal of steel sheet piling, repairs to the swing bridge and anti-corrosion work.

Scarborough will receive £100,000 for renovation work and the removal of contaminated silt.

The permission to borrow was granted in an announcement by shipping minister Keith Hill, who announced allocations totalling nearly £1.7 million across the country.

He said: "Ports fulfil very important and wide-ranging roles, from handling commercial traffic, including freight and passenger services, to providing facilities for fishermen and leisure craft.

"Safety in our ports is of paramount importance. The money that the ports will now be able to borrow will help ensure that vital work is carried out by allowing ports to fund these essential projects."

Updated: 15:03 Friday, January 19, 2001