A QUARTER of a million pounds has been pledged for waterproofing work to be done on Lancaster Town Hall's clock tower.

Lancaster city council has approved a budget of £251,000 to fund the refurbishment.

Scaffolding is set to go up later this month to enable experts to examine the structure and detail the work needed.

The repairs - which aim to prevent rainwater getting into the tower and stop the corrosion of the steel framework - are expected to be complete by the end of January 2005.

The 1909 town hall is a listed Grade II building whose structure is suffering from being exposed to the weather over the years. Maintenance work has previously been carried out and the structure has been re-pointed - but the corrosion has worsened, forcing the council to take action.

Cllr Alex Stone, Cabinet member for internal affairs, says: "This is the first major structural refurbishment to take place since the building was opened and the work will present a challenge for specialist contractors involving masonry, leadwork, woodwork and clockface restoration."