Going above the call of duty – almost literally – workers braved the heights to clean up a historic 130ft clock tower in Inverness.
But despite their best efforts, things were never going to be ticking over nicely – as the clock they were cleaning hasn’t shown the correct time for months.
The maintenance works on the Steeple Clock tower, on the corner of Church Street and Bridge Street, included clearing out the guttering to help preserve the 300-year-old building.
Yet the clock itself remains broken.
Depute Provost of Inverness, Councillor Bet McAllister, who is also a member of the City of Inverness Area Committee, said works are under way to get the clock ticking again.
She said: “They are installing a new piece of equipment. They put a piece in but it gave up the ghost. The piece that is to be put in is going to be electric. This one is stronger than the one that was put in before so it should be fixed and up and running again shortly.”
The works on the Grade A-listed building come five years after a £550,000 refurbishment. The clock is owned and maintained by the City of Inverness Common Good Fund.
Councillor McAllister said that considering alternative methods to maintaining the clock’s function may be the way forward – going digital being the obvious one.
She added: “It hasn’t been working for weeks and weeks, it’s very annoying. We were assured it was going to get fixed.”
“It’s a beautiful building and people will be thinking, why it’s not working; people have already said that to me. Now we know it’s not working, your eyes are drawn to it all the time.”
