THE RAVAGES of time have taken a bigger toll on a Teesside landmark than was first thought.
Helping hands will probably be needed to work on Middlesbrough's 200ft clock tower into the New Year - well past the Christmas completion date that was first forecast.
The lofty edifice which towers above the town's Victorian town hall, is swathed in scaffolding as stone masons re-build and stabilise the structure which had begun to lean.
A Middlesbrough Council spokesman said this was due to the effects of more than 100 years of British weather.
He said: "Structural surveys have shown substantial repair work is needed on the clock tower. Initially, it was thought to have the work done by Christmas.
"It's now very likely that it will take longer, so we are discussing the extent of what needs to be done.
"When we first went up there we looked at the problem through a telescope. Now we are looking at it through a mic-roscope. We are discussing the whole works with the contractor.''
About £170,000 has been set aside in council budgets for the repair work.
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