A ZIP wire from the Senhouse Museum to the harbour is the latest proposal to attract tourists to Maryport.

The zip wire would offer a thrill-seeking ride across the town.

Allerdale council has put out a call on The Chest, the North West portal aimed at bringing buyers and suppliers together.

The council is looking at a company to come forward to look at the feasibility of a zip wire in the town.

It would form part of the £1.3 million earmarked for the regeneration of Maryport.

A spokesman said that this is very early days and that no decisions have yet been made about the proposal.

He said the plan would include a study of any topographical and engineering issues, local infrastructure, the size of the market for such a proposal as well as the impact of the local weather.

“It will also look into the impacts on the local economy and residents. It will also provide an opportunity for residents to have their say.”

He added: “This is an exciting project, and similar attractions in other parts of the country have resulted in a huge boost for tourism and it therefore could help put Maryport – and the west coast – even more on the visitor map.”

Any businesses interested in bidding to carry out the study can find out more, and express an interest, on The Chest procurement website.

Allerdale council hoped the study would be carried out in July this year.

The procurement process is being led by the council’s Maryport regeneration team, which was set up earlier this year.

The team has been busy recently with a bid to the High Street Fund to help regenerate the town centre, and initial work on improvements to the harbour and promenade area. It has also been helping with local town clean-ups.

Maryport mayor Peter Kendall said it would be a great new tourism attraction. but warned that anything done in the town must rely on what he described as “connectivity.”

“That is the greatest problem for Maryport. People go to the Senhouse museum and leave town or to the harbour attractions and don’t come over the bridge. If this connects different parts of the town, I am all in favour.”

He suggested that the regeneration team could also look at the idea of a cliff lift – a type of funicular railway such as they have in Whitby and Saltburn.

Debbie Wright, chairman of the Maryport promotions group Maryporters, said: “We are all excited at the idea of this money being spent on regenerating the town.

“A zip wire sounds like a fantastic idea and I would love people to get behind it. Basically, anything we can do to promote the town and bring people here is good for all of us.”