COUNCILLORS have given the green light to a £350,000 urgent repair bill for Southampton’s damaged Civic Centre clock tower.

Last night Southampton City Council recommended a repair scheme worth a total of £351,000 after a violent storm caused extensive damage to the iconic monument on Christmas Eve.

As reported by the Daily Echo, the storm blew off a third of the building’s copper roof and its bells were put out of action after one of the tower’s main beams was damaged.

The recommendations were put forward by the council’s Cabinet member for resources, Cllr Stephen Barnes-Andrews, at last night’s meeting of the Cabinet.

He said: “If it had blown off during the day it would have been very serious. I would like to pay tribute to the fire service who did an absolutely sterling job.

“It’s an important part of the city. It is a landmark and I feel duty-bound to put it right.”

Work is expected to begin within the next few weeks, which will see a huge scaffold put over the 156ft tall tower to allow builders to carry out the work.