Trams and trolleybuses could be out of action at the Black Country Living Museum until Easter while repair work is carried out on the line, it has emerged.

The popular vehicles have been left grounded after metal thieves stole a section of the overhead electrical wiring from the attraction in Tipton Road.

Museum bosses said experts were still assessing the extent of damage to the cables and the connectors but they hoped the tramway would be fully operational in time for Easter.

The cost of the repair work is not yet known and the museum said due to the historic nature of the tramway, it was hard to predict how long the restoration would take, as it would require specialist work.

Museum spokeswoman Fiona Carding said: “The tramway overhead cables are a specialised piece of equipment.

“At the moment experts are conducting exploratory and survey work in order to access the total extent of the damage done to the cables and to the connectors which hold them in place.”

A vintage coach service is being used to ferry visitors while the trams and trolleybuses are out of action.