Scaffolders ready lighthouse for a new coat of white paint

Work started yesterday on Flamborough Lighthouse, and it will continue for the next six weeks.

The lighthouse, built in 1806, acts as a waypoint for deep sea vessels and coastal traffic as well as marking Flamborough Head for vessels heading for the Humber, Scarborough and Bridlington.

Scaffolding will be going up this week as contractors set about the massive job, which will see the cottages and fog signal station closer to the cliff edge also painted white.

Work will also be carried out to ensure the lantern roof isn't leaking and to maintain the aerial which provides highly accurate satellite navivation information to ships in the North Sea.

Deputy to the director of operations at Trinity House Steve Dunning said: "You've got a lighthouse that's 200 years old.

"As everyone who has a house knows, if you don't keep on top of maintenance it will soon deteriorate.

"Unfortunately about every five years you need to do something on this scale," he said.

"We work on the basis that prevention is better than the cure. Keeping on top of maintenance saves some very big repair bills further down the line."

Trinity House still owns the cottages to ensure they remain painted white – making the whole structure more visible to passing ships.

Mr Dunning continued: "All lighthouses are important but Flamborough is very, very important. It is a major waypoint along the east Coast. It is also a major landfall for ships coming into the Humber."

The bill for running lighthouses around Britain's coastline is paid by a levy on ships calling at UK ports.

The lighthouse's visitor centre will reopen to the public on Saturday, 17 July.