PEMBROKESHIRE County Council has said it is ‘not ignoring’ an important part of the county’s industrial heritage, following concerns raised on social media.

Members of the ‘I live in Pembrokeshire and I love it’ Facebook group had raised concern about the fate of the steam locomotive ‘Margaret’ and the former Sarnau signal box, which have been on display at Scolton Manor since the 1970s.

In 2013, both were moved to their current position as part of work to develop a walled garden on the site.

But Margaret’s peeling paintwork has prompted concern from some locals.

“Heartbreaking, having worked in Scolton Manor for fifteen years and helped maintain the Margaret and the signal box it grieves me to see it in such a sorry state,” commented David Williams.

The county council has assured history-lovers that plans to move the ‘internal workings’ of the signal box to a nearby storage shed are ‘imminent’, and that it is also looking for funding for a canopy cover for Margaret.

“While it is recognised that the exhibits are in poor condition, they are not being ignored and indeed are fully included in our long term plans for the development of the site, as highlighted in the Scolton Manor Development Plan 2015-2019,” said a county council spokesman.

They added that, with only five members of staff to run the entire site 362 days a year, the plan highlights 'the need to secure external funding to address the conservation/restorative work'.

“Various railway interest groups have been involved with the exhibits for at least the last decade, but all of them want to relocate the items elsewhere – both within Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire," they said.

“However, no organisation has been in a position to say how such a relocation would be funded.”