National tourism body VisitEngland offers top marks to the Mersey Tunnel Tours which are already rated in the three most popular tours in Liverpool by TripAdvisor. Tony McDonough reports

Mersey Tunnel Tours have been given the seal of approval and top marks from national tourism body VisitEngland.

For the 15th year in a row the tours have secured the status of Quality Assured Visitor Attraction. And in their assessment of the attraction VisitEngland gave the tour a quality score of 86%.

It praised the “high standard of content and range of the tour” and the “links to the local area and the tunnels heritage”. Mersey Tunnel Tours began operating in 2006 with just one tour a week.

However, interest and demand soon grew until there was a waiting list of six months. Now more than 5,000 people take the Mersey Tunnel Tour each year, with tours operating three evenings per week and twice on Saturday.

It is one of TripAdvisor’s top three most popular tours in Liverpool, attracting visitors from across the country and around the world.

Highlights include the Queensway (Birkenhead) Tunnels’ original 1930s control room, a visit to the refuges in the Queensway Tunnel and the giant fans which provide airflow to the tunnels, more than eight metres in diameter.

It has also confirmed that the Mersey Tunnel Tours are to be nominated for the ‘Best Told Story’ award, an accolade the attraction received previously in 2018 and 2021.

In the last few years, visitors have also been able to enjoy a tour around the exterior of the Grade II listed art deco Georges Dock building with the publication of a new Walking Tour booklet.

Cllr Liam Robinson, Transport Portfolio Holder for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, said: “It’s fantastic news that our Mersey Tunnel Tours are yet again being recognised by VisitEngland.

“It’s a real credit that they’ve highlighted how brilliant our guides are. We’re extremely proud of the team who give the tours, who all have a real passion for telling the amazing story of the Mersey Tunnels with a great touch of humour.

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“The Queensway Tunnel will be celebrating its 90th birthday next year and the tour gives a unique look at the skill and workmanship that went into creating it.

“The attraction also gives visitors an understanding of the significant investment needed to keep the Mersey tunnels up-to-date and running safely and efficiently, and why a toll is necessary to allow this to happen.”

Up to 27m vehicles each year cross under the River Mersey via the two Mersey road tunnels.