February 10, 2020 1.49 pm This story is over 54 months old

‘It’s devastated the community’: Scale of Burgh Le Marsh windmill wreckage assessed

Council leaders said they were “shocked and saddened” by the news
Photo: Windmill Restaurant Facebook

Lincolnshire County Council officers have moved in to assess the damage caused by Storm Ciara to a historic windmill in Burgh le Marsh.

The winds, which reached more than 80mph, ripped apart the sails and the cap at the 176-year-old Dobson’s Mill, damaging surrounding buildings.

Emergency services had to close off the area, and people watched in shock as the sails were propelled to high speeds before the incident which thankfully saw no-one hurt.

The windmill comes under Lincolnshire County Council’s heritage services and executive member Councillor Nick Worth said he was “shocked and saddened” to see what had happened.

Photo: Windmill Restaurant Facebook

“It’s such an important local landmark and we know how devastating this must be for the community.

“We believe just due to the sheer strength of the wind the sails, cap and an outbuilding were damaged.

“We’ve had teams at the mill yesterday and this morning, trying to see what had happened.”

Under heritage service shake-up plans given the go ahead last July, Lincolnshire County Council was due to hand over responsibility for the windmill, along with Ellis Windmill and Alford Windmill to another organisation.

Lincolnshire county councillor Nick Worth, portfolio holder for culture and emergency services

The plans, which also examined a number of other heritage sites and museums, looked to save around £750,000 a year.

However, the authority says it is too early to say how the latest damage affects those plans.

“For us, at this stage, its important to take time to make a careful assessment of the damage with specialists and consider the next steps,” said Councillor Worth.

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