London’s iconic Big Ben to fall silent for £40 mn repairs

To save politicians – and the tourist board – from embarrassment, the taxpayer will fork out £40 million to keep the world-renowned tower in motion.

The warning was spelled out in a report to MPs which said there was a risk of clock-hand failure, adding: It could stop or worse – a few believe the clock hands could fall off.

The fix work is expected to take as much as four months to complete – the longest period of time the iconic clock has stopped since it was built 156 years ago.

The public purse is already facing a massive restoration bill of up to 7 billion pounds for the crumbling Palace of Westminster.

There is also severe metal erosion, cracks in the roof and other structural defects, the reports says.

Preventative work to stop the clock breaking in the short term would cost a more manageable £4.9m, officials are reported to have said, but that could leave the building open to far more costly future repairs.

LONDON (AP) – Big Ben’s bongs may fall silent for months or even years as urgent repairs are carried out.

The clock derives its name from the giant bell housed in the Elizabeth Tower, renamed in 2012 in honour of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, though both clock and tower are generally known as Big Ben.

The report, seen by the Mail on Sunday and Sunday Times, said: “There are major concerns that if this is not carried out…the clock mechanism is at risk of failure with the huge risk of worldwide reputational damage for Parliament”.

The addition of a visitor centre at the bottom of the tower, and installing a lift to the top could see the cost rise to £40m.

John Warner & Sons of Stockton built it originally, and it was transported amid cheering crowds to the Tower on a trolley drawn by 16 horses.