Hopes of tapping into local water power

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Waterfall in Cheddar Gorge where the hydro system could be sited; below left, 1957 turbine, the last power generator in Cox's Mill; below right, engraving published by Newman & Co. London in 1863 showing Cox's Mill with its water wheel

A NEW project to bring hydropower back to Cheddar could generate 200,000 kilowatt-hours of power every year.

A feasibility study into using hydropower on the site of Cox’s Mill Hotel should be completed by the end of this year.

Cheddar's history of hydropower goes back centuries, with records of Cox's Mill using a water wheel as early as 1863.

The final turbine was added in 1957 which could generate a modest eight kilowatts.