THE National Trust has stepped up its vigilance against sticky ice cream and suncream fingerprints at Beatrix Potter's farmhouse, Hill Top.

The storyteller's beloved 17th century home, at Near Sawrey, is now open every day for summer.

As the conservation team explained, this means the monitoring of the Peter Rabbit and Mrs Tiggy-winkle author's treasured belongings has to be stepped up for the holiday season.

Trust staff keep a "waxing watch-list" recording the top artefacts and pieces of antique furniture susceptible to damage from greasy fingers.

Wooden chair backs and window seats are high up on the list, being particularly "high risk".

“We love welcoming thousands of visitors to Hill Top over the summer but that’s a lot of sticky ice cream fingers and sun-creamed hands," said conservation assistant Sophie Terrett.

"It’s extra important our conservation checklists are carefully stuck to during these busy times.”

The team uses tins of specialist Renaissance Wax, a microcrystalline polish with smaller crystals, developed by the British Museum in the 1950s.

A thick layer is applied to the wooden furniture at this time of year, giving an invisible coat of protection before the busy summer months.

Especially vulnerable are ebony and painted wood items, such as the Windsor chair in the patchwork-quilted bedroom at Hill Top, and the ebonised buffet inlaid with ivory in the treasure room, where Beatrix kept her collection of miniature curios.

The dark wood of these pieces can be badly marked by grease; visitor experience assistant Sarah Whiteside is pictured here, polishing the bedroom chair.

Although Beatrix's precious artefacts are carefully looked after all year round, large visitor numbers in the summer call for extra protection, said the National Trust.

If the waxing is not done correctly and in good time, wood conservators would need to be brought in to give special guidance on cleaning methods, at extra cost.

Nearby in Hawkshead, at the Beatrix Potter Gallery, visitors can see conservation work in action on Fridays from 1pm to 3pm, and meet the team, as well as view rare objects from the collection not normally on show.

Beatrix's original artwork is also on display in this year's exhibition at the gallery, Telling Tales.

Hill Top and the Beatrix Potter Gallery are open seven days a week until August 31. The National Trust says Fridays and weekends are a good time to visit to see the house and gallery at quieter times.