Linton Falls hydroelectric plant supplies electricity again

The plant can generate up to 500,000kWh of electricity a year

A hydroelectric plant in the Yorkshire Dales is supplying power for the first time in more than 60 years.

Linton Falls, built in 1909, was abandoned in 1948 but has been restored by construction company, JN Bentley Ltd.

Work on the project has taken eight years and has been supported by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and English Heritage.

The plant will produce 500,000kWh of electricity a year.

The plant was constructed to supply electricity to the village of Grassington but with the advent of the National Grid in the 1940s the plant was regarded as no longer viable.

The hydroelectric plant uses two Archimedean screws to generate power.

The River Wharfe flows down through the screws, spinning them fast enough to generate energy.

The site is a scheduled monument - a monument considered to be of national importance by the government, as identified by English Heritage.

Neil Redfern, from English Heritage, said: "We've been delighted to help bring this important scheduled monument back into use and excited that it has been achieved through harnessing its original intended purpose.

"Linton Falls can tell us much about the early days of electricity generation. It was a pioneering site in the past and is again 100 years after it was first built."

The electricity generated by Linton Falls, equivalent to the average energy use per year of 90 family homes, will be supplied to the National Grid.