For hundreds of years, the cannons of Gun Hill have stood proudly on Southwold cliffs.

And they are now set to stand for another hundred years, thanks to funding to repair their badly-damaged carriages.

The cannons, which are thought to be more than 400 years old, have long been popular with tourists and local children alike, but when the timber and wheel shafts were found to be rotting, the town council took action.

And on Wednesday, three new undercarriages made by the International Boat Building Training College in Oulton Broad were unveiled after months of work.

Southwold town councillor Will Windell oversaw the project in conjunction with the college and Waveney District Council contractors Waveney Norse.

He said: 'I'm really pleased, these are going to last for another hundred years.

'They are very iconic, and they have a history of giving people pleasure.'

The three undercarriages supporting the 2.5 tonne cannons cost around £4,000 each - a cost met by funding from Norse, the district council and Touching the Tide.

The three most damaged carriages have now been replaced with new oak ones, made by shipwright Gary May.

'I've never built anything like these!' he said. 'But it's nice to do something like this, something different and something so iconic.

'All my family come from Southwold so it's quite a big thing for me to help do this and know that so many people are going to come and look at them.'

Have you got a Southwold story? Contact Southwold reporter Polly Grice by calling 01502 525832 or email polly.grice@archant.co.uk