A TOUR which takes visitors behind the scenes of the Mersey Tunnels has been recognised as a "Hidden Gem."

The tour of Queensway Tunnel, which opened in January last year, is the only small visitor attraction on Merseyside to receive the Visit England accolade.

Councillor Gordon Friel, Merseytravel's lead member for tunnels and ferries said: “We’re very proud of our tour and the feedback from our visitors speaks for itself.

“The not-for-profit tour offers people a unique behind the scenes look at the skill and workmanship that went into creating the 80-year-old tunnel and an understanding of the significant investment needed to keep the Mersey tunnels up-to-date and running safely and efficiently."

The tunnels are something millions of motorists on both sides of the river take for granted every year.

According to Merseytravel, up to 90,000 vehicles pass through them every day, that’s an estimated 25 million vehicles a year, carrying around 37m passengers. During the tour’s launch last year, Frank Rogers, Merseytravel’s then deputy chief executive. said its aims was to raise awareness of how the tunnels operate.

An interesting fact is that in case of emergency, there are seven refuge rooms for motorists under the roadway of the Queensway Tunnel.

The rooms are kept well-lit, have seating, and supplies of bottled water.

They’re linked to a control room at Wallasey police station. The rooms have only been used once, in 2012, when a vehicle caught fire.

  • Queensway, which links Birkenhead to Liverpool, opened in 1934; Kingsway in Wallasey opened in 1971.
  • The tunnels have 5,428 light fittings.
  • 44 fans, eight ventilation stations, 30 pumps to remove ground water and 11 standby electricity generators, with capacity to power 2,700 homes. The electricity bill is £1m a year.
  • There are also 400 CCTV cameras linked to a central control room.