A WAR memorial is in urgent need of repair.

And parish councillors face a race against time to complete work on Slaidburn war memorial that has stood for over 80 years.

A bronze statue of a lone soldier leaning on his rifle has rested on top of a stone plinth in Chapel Street, Slaidburn, since the mid 1920s.

After years of being battered by wind and rain, the mortar in the stone base of the memorial needs replacing before it becomes unstable.

Holes have also been discovered in the rifle of the bronze soldier and this will be taken down and sent for repair to stop water leaking in to the statue.

Jean Lawson, chairman of Slaidburn and Easington parish council, said the work would cost in the region of £7,000 and must be completed by the end of March next year in order to make use of the relevant grants.

She said: "Work needs to be done to prevent further deterioration of the memorial.

"We think there is a blockage in the base of the memorial as well.

"This could be because it is hollow, or have a drain in it, but either way it is causing water to corrode the mortar-work.

"We are lucky to have a memorial like this in the village and it is a spot where people pause and have a moment of quiet reflection and we want to keep it like that."

Funding has been secured through Ribble Valley Council's parish liaison committee and Lancashire Rural Futures, but more is needed to ensure the work is done.

Further grants will be applied for and the parish council is waiting for go ahead from Ribble Valley Council to start the work after applying for planning permission.

This was needed because the memorial is classified as a listed building.

The memorial honours the local men who died in the two worlds wars and was originally built using public funds.