A model of Dumbarton's most famous shipyard could be brought out of storage for the first time in 18 years.

The miniature reproduction of Denny's has been locked away at the Royal Museums Greenwich in Greenwich, London, for almost two decades.

But plans are afoot to bring it back to Dumbarton for local people to enjoy.

The model depicts the famous yard in 1908 when it was located just below Dumbarton Rock at the mouth of the River Leven.

It built over 1500 ships there between 1844 and 1963, when it closed.

The pioneering family company constructed the world’s first turbine steamer, the King Edward, in 1901.

Denny’s was also the first commercial yard to use the Ship Model Experiment Tank to help design ship hulls.

The tank, which is the oldest commercial test tank in the world, is on display in Dumbarton’s Maritime Museum.

Read more: Balloch pupils enjoys hands-on learning at Maritime Museum

Now members of Dumbarton East and Central Community Council (DECCC) are keen to bring the highly detailed five feet square model to Dumbarton so that visitors can see it.

The model is incredibly detailed, and includes 21 telephones connected by 42 separate wires totalling 500 feet in length, which are mounted on 27 telegraph poles.

However, if the Maritime Museum wants to display it they will need to meet specific conditions to keep the model safe and preserved.

If it turns out it can’t be displayed in the Maritime Museum, vice chair of DEECC, Jim Crosthwaite, has suggested that it could be scanned to create a 3D image to be put on show instead.

The Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine has a 3D digital scanner they could use to create the image.

Mr Crosthwaite, said: “We are going to write to Greenwich Museum to ask if we could borrow the model from them.

“It’s early stages but the plan would be to get it out of storage and then contact an expert company to carry out the scanning.

“It may be easier to just bring the whole thing up.

“It’s not huge but it’s quite fragile so it might be quite expensive to move and get out of storage.

“It’s just an idea at the moment, but it’s a shame it’s just been sitting there in storage for 18 years.”

Read more: Heritage museum’s boost for Maid of the Loch restoration

David Mann, director of Scottish Maritime Museum, said: “I am aware that there have been discussions to bring the model to Dumbarton, but we have not agreed to house it at the museum yet.

“I am not sure that we could satisfy the conditions the Greenwich Museum would require, but if we could achieve this it would be great to have the model on display.

“It would be an excellent addition to our story at Dumbarton.”