AN ICONIC second world war bomber, which featured in the 1955 film The Dam Busters, has been moved from its home at the Royal Air Force museum to undergo a five year restoration.

The Vickers Wellington Bomber has been on display at the museum, in Grahame Park Way, Grahame Park, since it first opened in 1972, but relocated yesterday to the Michael Beetham Conservation Centre, at Cosford, to begin an extensive restoration.

Staff at the museum say the fabric covering to the aircraft is in “desperate need” of replacement and many sections of the plane are damaged.

Spokesman for the museum, Ajay Srivastava, said the “mammoth task” of recovering it will take four to five years.

Visitors to the museums own conservation centre in the West Midlands will be able to see the aircraft as the work is being done and monitor its progress.

The 145 mile journey to the centre was taken with special care in order to protect the historic plane and the drivers transporting the Wellington had to comply regulations regarding the movement of extraordinary loads.

The Vickers Wellington was designed by famous engineer and inventor Barnes Wallis in the mid-1930's.

Wallis is best known for his invention of the bouncing bomb, used to attack the dams of the Ruhr Valley during the Second World War. The attack was the subject of the iconic war film The Dam Busters, in which the Wellington had a starring role.

Mr Srivastava the restoration of the Wellington Bomber is important because it is a “rare remaining example of the aircraft” and is one of only two in existence.

He added: “As the museum is dedicated to preserving and conserving the aviation and RAF heritage it is very important to keep this aircraft in good condition, for future generations.”