AFTER more than three months of closure and the "biggest challenge" it has ever faced, Deep Sea World will re-open their doors to the public on Friday, July 17.

The North Queensferry aquarium has been under financial pressure through lockdown as it continued to look after a huge variety of animals from sand tiger sharks to seals.

It closed to visitors on March 22 but with no income, it still needed to pay out £90,000 a month to maintain tanks and pumps and feed the eclectic mix of exhibits daily.

A dedicated team have been attending the site and Kate Cooper, one of the aquarists at Deep Sea World, said: “It has been strange coming in every day to the empty aquarium but it has given us time to provide more enrichment for our animals as well as work on some of our tanks to make them more attractive.”

There have been significant changes to the aquarium, including hygiene screens and a one-way system to reduce interaction between other visitors. There are also additional hand sanitising facilities throughout the premises.

Deep Sea World general manager Adrian Duffey said: “We have built an environment that is safe but still offers the fun, educational experience that our visitors have come to love.

"It has been tough to watch as different shops and businesses open whilst we were still uncertain about our future but now we have a date to look forward to, all the staff have been working hard ready for our opening date.”

While the aquarium has seen no visitors in the last three months it has continued to interact with customers through educational material, including online activities. These have proved a hit with families as they look for ways to keep entertained during lockdown.

Mr Duffey added: "This has been the biggest challenge Deep Sea World has ever faced and we appreciate everyone who has supported us through this time. We remain hopeful for the future and can't wait to see you all soon."