CAMPAIGNERS in Padiham bidding to return a rare clock to its former glory have urged its owners to hand it over so it can be repaired.

Padiham Town Council have said they are prepared to fund the restoration of the Water Clock, but only if it can be put on display so the people of the town can see it.

But town clerk Elizabeth Bolton has claimed the clock's custodians, conservation group Project Padiham, were stalling in giving it up.

The clock, built in 1870, is one of only two of its kind in the country but is currently in bits in Padiham Town Hall. It would cost around £2,000 to repair it.

Mrs Bolton said: "We are prepared to pay for the restoration and have put money aside for that, but we will only pay if we can have the clock displayed for the public.

"We have asked Project Padiham for the clock, but they have not responded. They seem to be dragging their feet."

Earlier this year plans for restoration were dropped after funding collapsed at the last minute.

The town council spent nine months applying for more than £2,000 to repair the timepiece and says it had been promised the cash only to be told there was a final hitch.

The problem arose because Padiham Town Council does not have control over the town hall where the clock was to be displayed. The building is owned by Burnley Council and the town council rents a room there.

The arrangement means that the terms of the grant were not met, because the town hall does not count as a public amenity.

The clock was displayed in the Bradford and Bingley building society and Gawthorpe School before ending up in the town hall.

No one from Project Padiham was available for comment.