A CIVIC ceremony is to be held next week to mark the start of work on an ambitious £1.5 million facelift at Carnforth railway station.

Civic dignatories will brush shoulders with lookalikes of actors Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson, stars of the 1946 film Brief Encounter which featured Carnforth station, at a starting ceremony next Friday (October 6).

Railtrack is embarking on a major refurbishment of the platform, subway and roof to create a station fit for the 21st century.

Work should be completed by next summer, and it is hoped a National Lottery grant may fund a heritage centre on the history of transport from the Stone Age to the modern day.