ICONIC lighthouses will be given a revamp after surveys showed they are structurally sound, despite fears they were being left to rot away into the sea.

A final survey has been carried out on the outer lighthouse, which had to be organised with scaffolding and work being done around high tide.

Both surveys, commissioned by owner Tendring Council, have now confirmed the only issues with the two Victorian lighthouses at Dovercourt Bay are superficial.

The work came after Harwich councillor Garry Calver called for action to safeguard them and branded them as a negative focal point for the town.

He said: “Tendring Council officers have confirmed that the survey report states the outer light is structurally sound and all of the findings are in line with what was expected.

“The refurbishment project will require Tendring Council’s approval and Historic England approval, but everyone has confirmed this will be obtained and the project appears to be very much on track.

“I’m absolutely delighted with how things are progressing.”

The cast-iron lighthouses were built by Trinity House in 1863 and were used until 1917 to guide ships around Landguard Point - when the two lighthouses were aligned it showed you were on the right course.

In the 1980s, the community raised £20,000 to restore them.

But since then, no major work has been carried out and they have been branded as rundown and some people feared they would eventually fall into disrepair.

A clean-up of the outer lighthouse to prepare for the latest survey saw a company remove 130 bags of dead pigeons and faeces from inside.

A Tendring Council spokesman said initial findings from a second survey of Dovercourt’s Leading Lighthouses found no significant issues.

He added: “We will now meet with the report author to discuss it in further detail, and will then work with Historic England to look at options for the future.”