Sail falls off Blackpool's Grade II listed Little Marton Windmill

A listed windmill has been cordoned off after one of its sails fell off and another came loose in high winds.

Blackpool Council said it was carrying out a survey at the Grade II listed Little Marton Windmill on Preston New Road to assess the damage.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the damage meant plans to hold an open day on Sunday had to be abandoned.

The Friends of Little Marton Windmill (FoLMW), which had organised the event, apologised for the late cancellation.

The windmill was built in 1838 by John Hays on the site of an earlier mill and was in use until the 1920s.

It was externally renovated in 1968 and listed in 1983.

It now opens to the public with a team of volunteers giving demonstrations about the milling process.

The windmill, which is one of four in the Blackpool area, last had its sails renovated about 14 years ago.

Two others remain in Thornton and Lytham, while a third in Kirkham has been converted into a house.

FoLMW's Shirley Matthews said the group had to "close in the middle of our Easter opening".

"We cordoned it all off as the sail was on the ground," she said.

"The whole area is now cordoned off as another sail looks in disrepair."

The council said a cordon was "in place while a survey is carried on the remaining sails".

"The broken sail will be removed and checks carried out to see if it can be repaired or if it needs to be replaced," a representative said.

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