This is why the Civic Centre clock has stopped ticking

A prominent landmark in Southampton has stopped working – and this is why.

The towering Civic Centre clock has stopped ticking in recent days, leaving city residents and passers-by confused.

But Southampton City Council has confirmed the iconic clock wanted to take some “well-deserved” time off before the summer holidays as it undergoes repairs.

Following the completion of the works, the clock will remain off until July 20 due to the University of Southampton and Solent University graduation ceremonies.

The 156ft clock tower rose majestically from the new Civic Centre complex during the early 1930s.

All four dials of the clock were smashed though, and the south face mechanism was wrecked during the Second World War.

Two years after the war, the clock was plunged into darkness as a fuel crisis forced electricity cuts.

But by the end of 1947, the 54 lamps that illuminated the dials were switched on and Southampton was bathed again in the tower’s light.