BEATLES EXHIBIT TO MOVE TO LONDON

LIVERPOOL — The largest collection of Beatles memorabilia will be moved from the Fab Four’s hometown to London because tourists don’t visit this city, officials said.

A spokesman for Radio City, the commercial radio station that has put its collection on exhibition, said a “disappointing turnout” by tourists had prompted it to sell the memorabilia to an “anonymous buyer.”

“The buyer is planning to move the collection to London,” he said.

“It would be put on display there. It’s a terrible shame since the Beatles got their start here. But we’ve had a disappointing turnout and lost thousands of pounds.”

The Beatles memorabilia collection, described as the largest in the world, contains more than 1,000 items including stage suits, instruments, the 52-seat bus used in the film “Magical Mystery Tour,” Ringo Starr’s mini-car especially adapted to carry his drum set, and a console used by John Lennon to mix his “Imagine” album.

It was amassed by auction-buying and from donations.

The spokesman said the buyer had requested anonymity and it was premature to say when the collection would be put on display in London because the deal needs finalizing.