A CLASSIC bus used in TV’s Call The Midwife has been restored by an East Lancashire company.

Read Commercials staff worked on the 1946 Leyland Tiger for a week and a half and have resprayed the chassis.

The 7.4 litre Leyland diesel 34-seater is now set for further appearances in the hit BBC One show.

Company director Craig Orrell, said that the project had been a ‘real labour of love’.

The vehicle used to be operated by Preston Corporation and features a four-speed crash gearbox.

A team of six helped restore the vehicle, which has been affectionately called Rosie by new owners Cumbria Classic coaches.

Mr Orrell, who has been working with buses for 23 years, said: “It was a real labour of love and we all enjoyed working on Rosie every day.

“You have to use a lot of skill with older vehicles because there just aren’t the right materials out there to do a quick job. There is a lot of curiosity around older vehicles and I think everyone really enjoyed getting to grips with an old classic like this one.

“It was a case of just getting on with it and trying our best to make the bus look and work as well as it can do after so many years in service.

“My dad, Thomas, used to work at East Lancs Coachbuilders so I have been in and around buses for a long time.

“I will be looking out for the bus in the new series and I’m sure my wife will think that I’m very boring when I point it out every time.”

The company previously restored a vintage double-decker Routemaster bus in June.

They gave it a warm ‘welcome home’ after discovering it was manufactured in Blackburn.

Read Commercials, established in 2001, is based at West End Business Park, Oswaldtwistle.