It has towered over the Fens for 176 years and remains a popular tourist attraction and landmark south of Downham Market.

But Denver Mill faces an uncertain future as one of the country's last working windmills after three of its sails were removed yesterday.

Schoolchildren narrowly escaped serious injury when one of the sails came loose and showered debris around the complex last week.

Mark and Lindsay Abel, who rent the six-storey building from the Norfolk Historic Buildings Trust (NHBT), were ordered to close the site on Monday by West Norfolk Council because of health and safety concerns.

But last night the couple told the EDP they hoped the complex, which also has a bakery, shop and caf�, could reopen for business today.

Mr Abel said: 'Whilst the old girl is rather sad at present, we are seeing this as a new chapter.

'There are various options for the return to milling and sail here which are yet to be discussed but will be explored in the near future.

'As long as the NHBT is properly insured we can be back milling before Christmas and have sails turning for the summer next year.'

The Norfolk Millwright Alliance and Wave Trade carried out the laborious task of removing the sails yesterday.

Mr Abel continued: 'Our first priority now is to get back to producing flour and we are looking to put an electric motor in the mill tower to turn the stones.

'This year we are hoping to double our production of flour to 60 tonnes and this is still possible if we are milling again before Christmas.

'Our next aim is to then get two or four sails turning again here because our ultimate goal is still to have a commercial windmill here. This is a very precious resource because there aren't many sites like this left and we want it to be running as a commercial site until the end of the century. Yet again we have been humbled by the level of support, good wishes and kindness we have received.'

The NHBT has said it cannot fund the repairs – likely to run into thousands of pounds – because its �40,000 county council funding has been axed.

If the mill's insurers fail to cover the costs of repairs, chairman John Birkbeck has said the trust would then look to English Heritage or the National Lottery for a grant.

The windmill was given to the county in 1969 and sold to the NHBT by Norfolk County Council before the Abels took over in 2008 to promote and preserve traditional country life.

In June 2009, the iconic landmark had two 'rotten and dangerous' sails removed and two new sails were installed last April. It is believed the faulty sail was one of the new ones.

A party of 29 Year One pupils and staff from Clenchwarton Community Primary School had been enjoying a visit to Denver Mill when last Tuesday's dramatic incident happened just before 2pm.

Mrs Abel said: 'It's a miracle nobody was seriously hurt considering the extent of the damage to the sail, windmill and nearby building.'

Acting headteacher Georgie Smith, said staff had been full of praise for staff at the mill for their quick thinking and remaining calm.

'The reaction of the children was more of 'wow, that happened when we were there', rather than being spooked,' she said last week.

A spokesman for West Norfolk council said it was currently investigating the incident and has asked for a full report on all moving parts before the windmill is brought back into use.