ICONIC railway gates that guarded the entrance to Frinton for more than a century are back on home soil.

Rail bosses sparked fury after removing the landmarks so they could be replaced by automatic barriers.

Now the gates have been officially unveiled again.

They have been given pride of place in the railway gardens at the station.

More than 200 people attended a special ceremony yesterday.

Rachel Baldwin, chairman of Frinton and Walton Heritage Trust, which restored the gates, said: “Frinton is triangular, bordered by the sea, the marshes and the railway.

“The only proper way in and out was across the level crossing and the gates were there for more than 100 years.

“They were something everyone who came and left Frinton had to go through and it was the end of an era when they took the gates down.

“I think people still miss them, but are glad they are back where they are.’’ The gates were replaced by modern barriers, controlled from Colchester using CCTV cameras, as part of a major upgrade by Network Rail.

Protesters said the manually operated barriers were part of the town’s heritage and fought a long campaign to hang on to them.

They also claimed the new signalling system would be less safe than manually-operated gates.

Miss Baldwin said the old gates were stored in a barn to prevent other railway societies getting their hands on them while the heritage trust secured their future. She said: “There was quite a lot of pressure for some of the artefacts to be spirited away.

“But we put our foot down and said they had to stay local.’’ Miss Baldwin added: “We've been very lucky. We have had a lot of help from companies, the council and residents’association to keep them in the town.’’