A PIECE of British maritime history will arrive at Newport Docks tomorrow as it marks 40 years since enthusiasts saved it.

The Waverley is the world's last sea-going paddle steamer and is only kept in our waters by volunteers who raise millions to keep it going.

One man who has been fascinated by the boats for most of his life is Office of National Statistics, Newport, worker Dave Bassett, 65.

Mr Bassett said: "When I was a young boy, there were few cars and I remember huge queues at Newport Docks to go on the paddle steamers to Ilfracombe.

"I thought it was miraculous that you could leave the muddy banks of Newport and in a few hours be in a gorgeous place."

However, with a cost of around £18 per revolution of the paddle (which only takes the vessel a few yards), cheaper ways of travel were discovered in the 1960s.

One of the last profitable paddle steamers was the Waverley, which traveled up and down the River Clyde in Glasgow.

However, in 1973, it was offered to a new charity for £1. The Paddle Steamer Preservation Society was born and over the last 40 years, volunteers like Mr Bassett have helped raise £7 million to fully restore it.

The civil servant is a member of the Bristol Channel committee and added: "Other British transport icons such as Concorde, the Canberra or QE2 have either been retired or scrapped, so it is incredible to think the Waverley is still going."

While it spends most of the year docked in Glasgow, it travels around the UK between May and October.

It arrives at Newport Docks tomorrow and will take passengers on a short trip to Penarth or a longer one to Ilfracombe.

Tickets and information at www.waverleyexcursions.co.uk