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A 25-year lease of an 18th Century windmill by Wyre Council is set to come to an end.

Marsh Mill in Thornton is currently covered with scaffolding as the council carries out the remaining maintenance repairs needed before the lease ends on 30 June.

The owner, property developers Melrose Development Services, has been leasing the historic structure to the council since the firm bought it from the authority for £1.4m.

During that time, the council maintained the Grade II*-listed building and, for a time, the mill was open to the public as a museum-style attraction.

However, the council has now decided it no longer wishes to keep up the lease and is, effectively, handing it back to Melrose.

Managing director Rob Chadwick said prior to the lease ending the council was carrying out a combination of decorative and repair work.

“The mill has been well maintained over the past 25 years and, as long as the necessary work is kept up every few years, it means that it doesn’t fall into disrepair and won’t need any major work done to it," he said.

Mr Chadwick said he was not yet in a position to discuss the future of the property once the lease ended.

Marsh Mill was built in 1794 by Ralph Slater for local landowner Bold Hesketh.

It functioned as a corn mill until the 1920s and has been fully restored.

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