THE new and improved town clock is set to return to Pocklington.

Residents spent nine months raising the £15,000 needed to restore the 150-year-old clock.

The four blue clock faces were removed from the tower of All Saints' Church in June so the work could be finally be carried out.

Now the refurbishment, which is being carried out by the Cumbria Clock Company at its site near Penrith, is nearing completion. The clock faces, which each measure 7ft 8in across, have been cleaned and repainted. Gold leaf has been applied to the clock's numerals.

The timepiece has not only got a new look, but a new sound as well. The restoration work has included fixing the clock's chimes so they can be silenced at night. The clock stopped chiming many years ago after townspeople complained it kept them awake at night. The clock is expected to be back in its rightful place during the week starting August 11. A web-cam will record it being re-fixed to the tower on the website, www.pocklington.gov.uk

The clock, which was built by a Selby firm in 1846, had not been cleaned for more than 30 years. To commemorate the restoration work, a floral clock was planted in the grounds of All Saints' Church at the start of July.

Updated: 10:41 Saturday, August 02, 2003