TIME has caught up with Bury's Whitehead Clock Tower and sounded a financial alarm at the town hall.

Council bosses will have to spend £60,000 on urgent repairs to the 1914 structure, with perhaps much more to come.

Engineers were called in after one the four pinnacles which adorn its crown was found to be unsafe. This has now been removed.

However, further inspections have discovered that the condition of the building is much worse than first thought.

The copper work and supporting timbers to the roof are so decayed that they are beyond economic repair. They will require a major overhaul or complete rebuilding of the copper cap and pinnacles.

Constructed in Portland stone, the tower was a gift to the town from Henry Whitehead in memory of his brother Walter, an eminent surgeon.

Specialist historic building architects are doing a survey on the tower and its surrounding memorial gardens.

The council then hopes to submit a Heritage Lottery bid to obtain the "substantial" amount of money needed to restore the tower and gardens to their former glory.