THREE mayors have joined forces in a bid to save the treasured artefacts which were on show in a Christchurch museum.

There was public outrage in December when the Museum of Electricity closed “indefinitely.”

Despite a petition being launched to keep it open, owner Scottish Southern Electric insisted that the museum would remain shut.

An independent review conducted by the utilities company found that the museum, set in an Edwardian power station, was not fulfilling visitors’ needs and had restricted disabled access.

SSE, which funded the museum and reported profits of £397.5million for the first half of 2012, said it could not afford the necessary redevelopment works. Nine members of staff lost their jobs with volunteers also losing their posts.

Now First Citizens in Christchurch, Bourne-mouth and Poole have banded together to save the museum.

If that proves impossible they want to find an alternative site for the tourist attraction, dedicated to the history of electricity, which normally closes from the end of September and re-opens at Easter.

Bournemouth mayor Cllr Phil Stanley-Watts said: “The museum is a hidden gem and we want these historic artefacts to stay in this area.

“It’s part of our heritage and we must do all we can to ensure all the memorabilia the museum contains is not lost or ends up in another part of the country.”

Christchurch mayor Cllr Peter Hall, inset, said: “Obviously I would prefer to see the museum remaining in Christchurch. The problem is finding another site in the town as we are very short of land.

“It’s an asset to Christchurch and a big bonus for local schools. But if the museum can’t stay in here I would support efforts to find another site for it in Bournemouth or Poole.”

Poole mayor Cllr Carol Evans is also supporting efforts to save the museum. She said: “It’s fantastic and I would love to see the museum coming to my town centre ward.

“It would be a shame if the area lost this amazing attraction.”