Time has stopped: Big Ben has stopped for the second time in a week

Big Ben is behind the times as it doesn't work properly on Wednesday

Wednesday in Westminster, time stopped as it froze hands on the Big Clock on the Elizabeth Tower for the second time in a week since the £80 million renovation project.

The hands on all four dials stopped for about 30 minutes in the morning, just six months after Big Ben — the famous bell, attached to the tower — returned to regular work.

Sources attribute the shutdowns to a five-year “burn-in” process after the Elizabeth Tower renovation, funded by tens of millions of pounds in taxpayer money.

A week ago, the clock temporarily showed the wrong time, and Big Ben did not strike at 13: 00. On Wednesday, the arrows stopped again and the bells also fell silent, although sources said this was due to the fact that the chimes had already been turned off.

The Telegraph may report that two parliamentary inquiries into the shutdowns could now be launched as MPs on separate committees have said they will raise the issue with their counterparts.

£29 million renovation

In August 2017 Big -Ben has been closed for a four-year, £29 million refurbishment. The House of Commons said at the time that it would «renew regular timing duties during 2021.»

But the work was delayed and finally completed in 2022, with the price rising to £80m.

The bells of the Elizabeth Tower, including Big Ben, as well as the west clock face, were briefly suspended on Wednesday to allow maintenance of the mechanism. Once that was completed, both returned to their normal routine.

House of Commons sources insisted that the faults did not pose a risk to the clockwork or a defect in operation.

After Wednesday's investigations, extra lubrication was added and the weights were raised to their original values ​​on a moving train — the part of the clock that pushes the hands — to provide extra power.

The House of Commons Administrative Committee, which first approved this work in 2015, is now going to look into the issue after one of its members promised to raise the issue with the group.

The MP told The Telegraph: “We will raise this issue with the administrative committee and find out what went not this way. We can't have a problem with bongs.»

Craig McKinley, Conservative MP for South Thanet, also said he would raise the issue of the stoppage with the House of Commons Finance Committee.

A House of Commons spokesman said: was showing the wrong time.

Teams worked quickly to fix the immediate problem and provided extended maintenance for the engine soon after, which is now complete.

“The clock faces and bells of the Elizabeth Tower are currently functioning normally, and no risks to the integrity of the mechanism have been identified.

“It is not uncommon for problems such as This happens as , as the movement falls into disrepair after an intensive conservation program.

«Following the historic renovation of the Grand Clock, careful and regular maintenance is carried out in accordance with watch industry standards to ensure that the watch can continue to work correctly.»

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