Repair and restoration work has started on Brighton's Jubilee Clock Tower

The city council said the clockworks themselves are being inspected with some of the parts being removed for servicing and repair.

These include both the internal and external clock mechanisms and replacing the missing hand.

The work is being done by the same team who have been working on Big Ben in London. The next phase will involve re-lettering the faded and missing letters from the clockfaces followed by the replacement of the bird prevention netting with steel mesh. Work is scheduled to take approximately four weeks.

Council leader Phélim Mac Cafferty said: “I’m so pleased work has begun on the clock tower. It’s one of the first things people pass when they arrive from the railway station or notice when travelling around the city. It’s so important we take care of landmarks which are such an iconic part of Brighton & Hove’s history. These works will mean that the clock will once again be working, instead of being right just twice a day.”

The Jubilee Clock Tower was donated to the city in 1888 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee in1887

Designed by John Johnson and built by JT Chappell, it’s made of Portland stone and pink polished granite with a domed roof of copper and crown on top carrying a metal globe; this was a time ball designed by Magnus Volk.

It stands 23m (75 feet) tall, with the Volk’s time ball adding a further 4.9m (16 feet). Each of the four clock faces are 1.5m (5 feet) in diameter.