Dartmouth's Market Square car park WILL be man enough for the latest Newcomen celebration plans.

The Newcomen 300 group organising the celebrations aims to stage a steam fair on the town council owned car park on July 14.

There were some concerns that hugely heavy traction engines could end up giving the car park that sinking feeling.

Former mayor Debbie Morris said: 'The question is whether the tarmac is man enough. Traction engines are very heavy. Other than that I see no reason why it should not be used for the steam fair.'

And town councillors said yes to the application as town councillor and Newcomen 300 group vice chairman David Gent assured them: 'We are not having a great number of vehicles – probably six to 10 – and they won't be huge.'

The Newcomen celebrations are being organised to mark the 300th anniversary of Thomas Newcomen's invention of the first industrial steam engine which is said to have launched the Industrial Revolution.