Safety concerns put clock towers out-of-bounds

People attempting to break into the earthquake-damaged Sumner and New Brighton clock towers are putting themselves in a potentially dangerous situation.

The two heritage clock towers are currently surrounded by scaffolding and have fencing around them, but that has not stopped some people from trying to gain entry.

The New Brighton clock tower will remain fenced off until repairs to the 1930s structure are completed.

“The reason why the clock towers are fenced off is because we’ve had engineers working to determine how much damage they sustained in the earthquakes and what needs to be done to fix them,’’ says Christchurch City Council Head of Parks Andrew Rutledge.

“The assessments show while the clock towers are structurally sound, they both require extensive repairs. Some of the surface masonry is loose and could fall off if we got another strong quake and some of the floors in the New Brighton clock tower need replacing.

“It is not safe for the public to be in these clock towers which is why we have got them fenced off. Our concern is that if someone does try to break in while the repair work is under way, they could find themselves in a potentially dangerous situation,’’ Mr Rutledge says.

The repairs to the clock towers are likely to take several months to complete and will involve removing all the clock faces so they can be restored by specialists.

It is believed to be the first time the clock faces have been restored since the clock towers were built in the 1930s.