Residents of a Fife village say they are getting ticked off with their town clock.
Iain Nimmo White said he is getting wound up over the haphazard illumination of the clock face at St Mary’s Church in Leslie.
He is just one member of the community who has been left baffled by the inconsistent lighting of the historic timepiece, which is keeping local clock-watchers in the dark.
With the dark winter nights arriving, Mr Nimmo White said the face is only occasionally lit up, despite having been repaired earlier this year.
Frustrated by the inconsistency, he said: “In a digital age it’s understandable that for many people a traditional town clock is not all that significant. But they’re more than just a timepiece.
“Where they stand high up in a town’s centre, they speak for the heritage and identity of their town, and in the dark hours of winter they shine like beacons.”
The clock was only returned to service in the spring having been out of action for almost a year.
Repairs took longer than expected after contractors raised concerns about safely accessing the mechanism.
Whilst delighted to have the clock up and running again, Jan Wincott, chair of Leslie Community Council, is sharing Mr Nimmo White’s concerns and wants local people to no longer be kept in the dark.
While it is the church that is responsible for access to the clock mechanism, it is Fife Council that maintains and repairs the timepiece.
Alan Paterson, of Fife Council’s property services team, said that he had received no requests to light up the clock face, saying: “Following the award of grant funding from the council, work has been carried out to reinstate safe access to the clock so that we can maintain it again.
“Fife Council arranged for this work on behalf of the church. The clock has not been illuminated in recent times and no requests have been made to us from the church for assistance in this matter.”
