A NEW piece of artwork is to be installed in Radcliffe.

Bury Council has commissioned the sculpture, as part of the Irwell Sculpture Trail, and plans are in place to erect it over the next few days.

The new sculpture, to be placed in Outwood, is the result of Radcliffes long-running partnership with one of the worlds leading artists, Ulrich Ruckriem.

The sculpture is characteristic of Ruckriem's usual style and consists of two huge columns of granite imported from Spain.

The columns were split using traditional methods in the quarry and reconstructed on site. The central sections of the stones have been removed so that the sculpture looks like two arches facing each other.

Councillor Barry Briggs, chairman of Radcliffe Area Board, said: "This is great news for Radcliffe. It gives local people access to the internationally important contemporary art and continues to build the image of the town as a place with a vision of quality and exciting development."