Three times as much money was spent on arts venues in Manchester and Liverpool last year as was invested in London, the latest figures have shown.

The Northwest Development Agency revealed that almost �100m was spent on new venues in the cities over the past year.

That compared with �33.7m invested in new or updated facilities in London.

The North West saw a number of venues opening to critical acclaim in 2002, along with multi-million pound refurbishments of established art galleries.

The Walker Art Gallery had a �4.3m revamp

Last April, Manchester Art Gallery opened a �35m extension, while Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery received a �4.3m revamp two months earlier.

Other success stories include Manchester's �26m Urbis "museum of the modern city", which opened in June.

The Imperial War Museum North, which sits on the bank of the Manchester Ship Canal, also opened that month.

It was designed by internationally-renowned architect Daniel Liebeskind for �28.5m - a quarter of the original budget after it was denied lottery funding.

The Imperial War Museum North opened last year

A major new arts centre - Foundation of Art and Creative Technology - will also open in Liverpool later this month, at a cost of �8.7m.

Sir Bob Scott, who is leading Liverpool's bid to become European Capital of Culture in 2008, said beating London indicated "the will and vision" of the North West.

He added: "This is an exciting time for our region.

"In Liverpool we are planning to invest a further �2bn between now and 2008, including the building of a new museum.

"This momentum is making the region a major cultural tourist destination."