Work to protect the mill was completed in the nick of time. Photo: Yorkshire Dales NPA

Work to protect a historic Yorkshire Dales building was completed hours before Storm Ciara swept the area.

Grinton Smelting Mill was at risk of being undermined after summer floods swept away an ancient listed stone-arch culvert carrying a watercourse next to the mill.

Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority said it was clear another serious flood would almost certainly put the building itself at risk.

Extensive flooding hit Swaledale last weekend when the storm brought torrential rain, and an amber weather warning for heavy rain is in force for the area this Saturday and Sunday as Storm Dennis is expected to bring similar conditions.

The authority began work at the site after the storm damage in July. The most urgent work, which included repairs to the eroding watercourse edge and the installation of ‘rock armour’ in vulnerable areas, was completed in the nick of time last Saturday morning as Ciara began to roll in.

Julie Martin, member champion for cultural heritage at the national park authority, said: “The speedy response to last summer’s devastating floods by our historic environment team, in partnership with the Grinton Estate and Historic England, saved Grinton Smelt Mill from damage during Storm Ciara.

“The mill is a scheduled monument and is a key site for the interpretation of lead mining heritage in the Yorkshire Dales national park. What a relief that the emergency works were designed, commissioned, funded and carried out in such a short space of time.”

The mill lies about 2km south of the village of Grinton, at the eastern end of Swaledale, and can be visited using rights of way on Grinton Moor.