A BUS which was made famous when it was taken on tour by a Beatles legend has been restored by a vehicle repair expert – and is now valued at £1million.

Bradley Earl, 34, who runs Simon Morris Thorpe Ltd, in Thorpe-le-Soken has spent 16 months working on a bus which once belonged to Sir Paul McCartney.

The large vehicle, which was once used for traditional services in Essex, was acquired by the icon in the 1970s before being redesigned in psychedelic colours.

McCartney then used the eye-catching open-top bus to embark on a lengthy tour of Europe with his newly-formed band Wings in 1972.

After not being seen for decades, it was eventually found outside a café in Tenerife before being brought back to the UK and purchased by Tom Jennings.

Last year, Tom contacted the well-recommended Bradley out of the blue to ask him if he would be interested in taking on a once-in-a-lifetime restoration project.

He responded within minutes of receiving the offer - and didn’t hesitate in saying yes.

“He asked if wanted to see it first but I didn’t need to, my mum is a huge Sir Paul McCartney fan so I just had to do it,” said Bradley.

“I was more excited to get going on it as opposed to nervous, but it was quite a difficult job because it was rotten from top to bottom.

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“The hardest part was fitting the 70-year-old windows with new rubber – that took a long time because we did not want to break them.

“We did a preservation restoration and only replaced what needed to be replaced and what could be kept original is still original.”

The bus, which was worked on by a team of five, does now boast an ingenious fold-out stage inspired by The Beatles’ legendary rooftop concert.

When it soon departs Bradley’s workshop, it will be put into storage but used for special events, such as festivals and charity bashes.

Bradley added: “I feel absolutely amazing and honoured to have been given the chance to do it. My mum is so proud of me - I kept her away until it was finished.

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“Tom is over the moon with it. He has put a £1million price tag on it but only if it can still be seen by the world – it cannot just sit in someone’s garage.

“I have become a custodian to the bus, so wherever it travels Brad will travel with it – right now it is like a child to me.

“If anyone gets too close to it I have to stop people before they get there – it is very delicate to me.”