EMERGENCY repairs are being carried out at Yarmouth Castle after part of the ceiling came down.

English Heritage confirmed it had closed the castle's Long Gallery to visitors after a small section of the ceiling came loose this week.

The damage is being assessed and emergency repairs carried out.

David Bailey, English Heritage’s head of historic properties for the Isle of Wight and Hampshire, told the County Press: "Incidents like this, while not frequent, can occur in historic buildings due to the nature of the historic materials and methods used to build them, and can be made worse by inclement weather.

"The castle has stood watch over Yarmouth Harbour since 1547, and the job of looking after such an important historic site is on-going and complex, but one we continue to do with the support of our members and visitors.

"We hope to reopen the Long Gallery soon."