CAMPAIGNERS in Padiham are bidding to save a rare clock after funding to have it restored collapsed at the last minute.

The water clock, built in 1870, is one of only two of its kind in the country but is currently in bits in Padiham Town Hall.

The town council spent nine months applying for more than £2,000 to repair the timepiece and says it had been promised the cash only to be told there was a final hitch.

The problem arose because Padiham Town Council does not have control over the town hall where the clock was to be displayed. The building is owned by Burnley council and the town council rents a room there.

The arrangement means that the terms of the grant have not been met - because the town hall does not count as a public amenity.

Padiham town councillors are now set to hold a meeting later this month to discuss possible solutions which include paying for the restoration costs themselves or re-arranging the terms of the lease on the town hall with Burnley council.

The grant for the clock, which was displayed in the Bradford and Bingley building society and Gawthorpe School before ending up in the town hall, was to come from the Shanks First waste management company which runs the landfill site at Deerplay.

The company offers grants to community groups within a certain radius of their sites, including the one at Deerplay, which means Padiham falls within the criteria.

Padiham town clerk Elizabeth Bolton said: "We won't give up the fight even though we are obviously disappointed that the grant has fallen through at the last hurdle.

"This is a beautiful piece of history and we thought we had funding in place to be able to show it off so this is frustrating.

"We will be having a meeting to discuss any ways forward so we can try and get the clock working and on show for the people of Padiham."

The meeting will be held at Padiham Town Hall on Monday, April 19.