A couple restoring a piece of their village's history say they plan to put in a planning application in the next few weeks to restore a mill's cap and sails.

Margaret and Ranjit Appa plan to restore the 2m cap to the top of the windmill at Ecclesden Mill in Angmering.

The return of the cap will be one of the final stages in their plan to return the windmill to its former glory.

Restoration work is under way repairing the structure and applying cedar shingle to the outside to protect it from the elements.

The couple have now submitted a planning application to knock down a stable block adjoining the mill and build an artists' studio.

Mrs Appa said: "We want to demolish the stables and build a studio for me as I am an artist.

"In the next few weeks we will submit a planning application to replace the cap and sails."

Ecclesden Mill has gone through various stages of dereliction and several rebuilds during its 177-year history.

The tower mill was built to replace John Olliver's windmill on Highdown Hill, near Worthing, in 1826.

Disaster struck less than 60 years later when, in 1880, the cap and sails blew into a nearby chalk pit during a storm.

The mill was left to the elements until it was used as an observation post during the Second World War, after which it was abandoned once again.

In the Seventies developers turned the 11m mill into the focal point of a development of luxury bungalows but over the past few years few repairs have been made to the village landmark off High Street, Angmering.