Take a look at rarely seen view of Tyne ferry

An iconic ferry - Pride of the Tyne - is currently in dry dock for its annual inspection.

The boat is undergoing its yearly health check by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).

The Pride, which was built at the Swan Hunter shipyard in 1993, can only undergo the work by being taken out of the water.

The work includes a detailed inspection of the ferry’s hull.

This year it will be being applied with a type of paint to prevent a build of marine foul.

A spokesman for Nexus, the public body which owns and manages the cross-Tyne ferry service, said: “We alway carry out these inspections in the winter months so that both ferries are ready for the busy summer season.”

The Shields Ferry service, which has been operated by Nexus since 1972, carries half a million passengers a year on two ferries - Pride of the Tyne and Spirit of the Tyne.

Pride of the Tyne has been in operation since 1993 and Spirit of the Tyne since 2007.

Ferry services between North Shields and South Shields have been there since at least 1377, according to documents from the time.

Between 1862 and 1908 paddle steamers from the Tyne General Ferry Company ran a passenger service with 21 stops between Elswick and South Shields.

As late as 1929 there were 11 ferry routes across the Tyne between Newburn and the mouth of the river.

To find out more about the Shields Ferry go to www.nexus.org.uk/ferry or on Facebook at www.facebook.co./theshieldsferry