A DEVELOPER has bought the site of an underground Victorian reservoir, which local campaigners say is a heritage site.

Clayton reservoir, Back Lane, Clayton-le-Woods, which was built in 1884, was sold at auction by owner United Utilities.

The site, which was closed in the 1980s and has outline residential planning permission, was bought by Southport-based Kingswood Homes.

Heritage campaigners had expressed a wish for it to be turned into a heritage trail.

Rosemary Boyd, from the Chorley Historical and Archaeological Society, said: “We don’t have much heritage here, so it is very, very sad to lose this.

“I am going to speak to Kingswood Homes and ask if we can go into partnership to develop it into a heritage trail.”

English Heritage has turned down applications for the reservoir to be made a listed building.