Daring workman hoisted 130ft up to give Withernsea Lighthouse a new paint job

The Victorian lighthouse - now a museum - is getting a new lick of paint

These breathtaking drone shots show a daredevil workman painting the very top of a lighthouse on the East Yorkshire coast which stands 130ft in the air.

The fantastic photos were captured at Withernsea Lighthouse on Wednesday.

Contract painter Ian Hairsine 42, can be seen tethered to the large, white structure, which he is clinging on to with one hand while painting with the other.

Ian, who grew up in Withernsea, said that the lighthouse is the most unique project he’s ever done, and he hopes to complete it within three weeks.

Ian Hairsine at the top of Withernsea Lighthouse

“You need to be a bit of a daredevil to do this job. I’ve done things like skydiving, so I think that’s why they picked me to go on these jobs.

“The first day is always a bit scary until I’ve been around it once and I know where to stand, but as I go on I feel fine.

“But I’m not afraid of heights. I’m the only one who does it. My dad used to, but he is in his 70s now.

“It’s so beautiful up there. It’s my hometown, so it’s nice to see it from that perspective which you don’t really see. It’s so serene up there.

There are stunning sea views from the top of the tower

“It’s nice, you can see for miles. As a painter I don’t think this is normally in the job description, it’s quite unique.”

The pictures were taken by amateur photographer Andy Medcalf, 54, who took his drone out as he watched the painter.

Andy said: “I knew what was going to happen so popped down with my drone.

“It was a fantastic moment to capture on camera. It takes quite some nerve to get up there and do what he did.

“I’m really happy with the way they came out.”

Next week Mr Hairsine will take a bucket of white paint and start working on the main section.

Withernsea is an inland lighthouse dating back to 1894. It was owned by Trinity House until 1976, when operations were automated and it was decommissioned. The building is now used as a museum of RNLI and Coastguard history, and has been listed alongside the old lighthouse-keepers' cottages alongside it.