Repairs to a town centre clock that has not chimed on the hour for some time have been delayed due to ongoing coronavirus restrictions.

The iconic clock above Barclays bank in Newtown requires specialist work worth around £8,000 by the only clockmaker who is able to fix the problem.

Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council does not own the building but the clock tower is under its control.

Operations manager Lee Davies said: “We’ve had it approved to invest in new replacement mercury switches. We will get rid of the old switches one of which has failed which is the one that controls the hourly chimes.

“Repairing clocks doesn’t come under essential maintenance unfortunately. We are waiting for lockdown to end and as soon as that happens then the purchase order and the investment we have agreed will happen, and our clock will be chiming merrily.”

Councillors also heard that the internal steel frame is “very corroded” and there are large cracks from these beams to the openings. Concerns have been passed to the building owner who has since given some assurance that a structural engineer has investigated this issue and no action is required.