Staff at a Lincolnshire museum have shelled out £3,000 for six the most expensive road tyres in the world.

The 24in rubber 'boots' were needed for the prize exhibit at the Lincolnshire Road Transport Museum – a 1929 Leyland Lion bus.

The bus's original set had become severely cracked by sheer age but the replacements proved very hard to find.

In the end the museum, in Whisby Road, North Hykeham, had to have the set costing £500 each shipped over from America. Normal bus tyres cost around £150 each.

Lincolnshire Vintage Vehicle Society assistant vehicle manager Ken Thompson said: "It's really hard getting specialist tyres and parts.

"We are trying to get all the Lincoln buses up and running by November to mark the 50th anniversary."

Society chairman Steve Milner said: "We want to ensure the bus is on the road this year. It's the museum's 50th year and it's the society's first vehicle."

It's not the first time the society has had to order tyres from overseas, as the demand for specialist tyres is so low.

And buying the replacement tyres has been just a fraction of the maintenance and restoration work carried out on the vintage bus since it arrived at the museum in 1959.

It was one of four buses produced, and the only surviving of the batch, carrying with it a very interesting history.

The four buses were taken out of service in 1938 but were soon reinstated to help cope with transport demands during the war.

Three of the buses were eventually scrapped, but before residing at the museum, the only surviving bus was used by the highways department as a snow plough.

The bus was the first vehicle acquired by the society, arriving shortly after the group formed 50 years ago.

Founding member and car dealer, Sid Twell salvaged the bus after it was sent to scrap in 1954, later donating it.

For the full story see Tuesday's Lincolnshire Echo.