Clapped out

Bells are traditionally rung at St Mary's Church to mark the move from one year into another.

But seconds into the ringing to mark the start of 2007, a clapper in one of the bells sheared in two.

St Mary's tower captain Jim Lilley explained: "We always ring out the old year and ring the new year in. We had a bit of misfortune. We only rang for a few seconds when the seventh bell's clapper snapped. It was a real shame.

"We rang them half muffled to ring the old year out. As we started to do open ringing with the muffles off, the clapper broke in half and fell out. We were lucky it didn't fall onto another bell '“ it could have cracked it."

The tower's seventh bell is the only original one remaining, after five of the six originals were melted down and recast, in 1896.

An additional two bells were added the following year, leaving the church with the ring of eight bells it boasts today.

Mr Lilley said: "When the bells were recast, they all had new clappers. The original bell is from 1767, and that is the one the clapper fell out of."

It was initially thought the bell would require a brand new clapper, made from Belgian iron, but Mr Lilley told the Herald yesterday that it would be a matter of repair, rather than replacement.

The clapper is currently with the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, in London. It was hoped it would be back in Shoreham in a fortnight.

Mr Lilley added the lack of the seventh bell won't deter the ringers, who will carry on ringing for Sunday services at St Mary's.

He said: "We shall still ring the others, that will be no problem. We shall carry on bell ringing until the clapper comes back, and then we will get back to normal."