DINOSAURS are set to take up temporary residence in Dudley's limestone caverns.

Dudley Canal and Tunnel Trust has revealed £150,000 plans for a dinosaur safari.

The skipper-guided boat trip will take families and schoolchildren underground to see the life-size, animatronic dinosaurs, similar to those that appeared at Birmingham's Jurassic Kingdom earlier this year.

Lasting 50 minutes, the prehistoric adventure will allow visitors to get up close with up to 20 dinosaurs believed to have roamed around the town a few hundred million years ago.

The exact species are still to be confirmed, but it is thought there will be a mix of well known faces and lesser-known breeds.

Sarah Fellows, the trust's heritage activities officer, said: "Everybody is very excited about it, it'll be a completely unique experience.

"At the moment, we're trying to drum up public support through donations and also get people's comments.

"We will then approach large grant funders, who are more likely to help if we've already got support from the community.

"If everything goes well and people get behind us, then who knows, we could open next year but it is more likely to be 2019."

People can donate to Project Dinosaur via www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/dudleycanal-canaltrust/projectdinosaur.