Blackpool Tower ballroom floor ready for dancing after £1million restoration

• Video report by Sarah Rogers.

The famous Blackpool Tower Ballroom floor has welcomed back more dancing feet after its most extensive restoration in 30 years.

The original wooden dancefloor, which has been quickstepped over by performers including the Strictly Come Dancing stars, has undergone a three-week refurbishment.

As part of the work experts were brought in to break down more than 100 layers of lacquer, before the floor was sanded down and resealed.

The work has left an ultra-smooth finish, meaning visitors to the ballroom will be able to glide across the floor, made up of 30,602 individual blocks of oak, mahogany and walnut.

Mike Philbin, chief executive of NuLife, which led the works, said: "The Blackpool Tower Ballroom is home to one of the most famous dancefloors in the world so it was a real honour to be brought onto the project.

"This was a particularly challenging refurb for us due to the number of layers of lacquer painted on over the years, which needed to be broken down before we could restore the original floor.

"The end result is phenomenal though and regular ballroom dancers will really notice the difference once they get out there.

"Plus visually, it looks incredible and only adds to the ballroom's 'wow' factor."

The ballroom, which dates back to 1894, underwent its most extensive restoration last year, when a £1.1 million refurbishment was carried out during lockdown.

General manager of The Blackpool Tower Kenny Mew said: "This is the first time in more than three decades that we have done such extensive works on the ballroom floor.

"It is an iconic venue that is steeped in history, so to strip the floor back to its original state is something we have been wanting to do for a long time... with unbelievable results.

"We're now looking forward to welcoming back our regulars, as well as new dancers, and can't wait to see the dancefloor full and bustling again."