Conservation specialists working on restoring a landmark city centre building have turned to maritime technology to fix urgent problems with its stonework.

Britannia House has been encased in scaffolding for more than 18 months for improvements.

Nigel Kynaston, William Anelay’s contracts manager, said: “The rusting structural steel frame at Britannia House was causing the stonework to split on every elevation and required urgent attention.

“We’ve used cathodic protection, a method that’s popular within the maritime industry, to prevent rust but rarely used in construction, to provide a structural integrity using almost 2,000 tiny anodes inserted into the stonework.

“We are also working on general stonework degradation at Bradford City Hall across the road from Britannia House and have completed phase one. We’ve carried out repointing and stonework repairs and replacement at this venue, as well as making the chimney stacks safe for decades to come, with phase two work due to start soon on other elevations.”

The building’s £60,000 refurbished copper dome has also provided a glinting addition to the skyline.