Dog urine 'eroding' Bridport museum

Dog urine has been blamed for damage to the bottom of the museum's two-storey porch

A 16th Century museum facade in Dorset is being eroded by dog urine, its curator has claimed.

It is thought the local sandstone at the Bridport Museum on South Street could be susceptible to acidic urine.

Curator Emily Hicks said: "It's a really important, beautiful building and it's counteracting the work we are doing to conserve it."

She said she had no problem with dogs but appealed for owners to show consideration over the issue.

"The soft stone erodes quite easily - it smells horrible so it's not very enticing for our visitors," she added.

The Bridport Museum was donated to the town by its then owner in 1931 and now provides an archive of the town's 800-year-old rope and netting industry.

Its trust received a lottery grant in April to conserve the Grade II* listed building, including the two-storey front porch.

The 16th Century facade is all that remains of the original building which suffered a fire in 1876.

The 16th Century facade is all that remains of the original building in Bridport's South Street