Petition calls for Morecambe’s iconic clock tower to be repaired

Now John Parkinson, the man behind the initiative, plans to present it to Lancaster City Council with a request for swift action to get the clock working again.

"Time has stood still long enough in Morecambe," the 85-year-old declared. "I want to see it working again, as it should be. And everyone who has signed the petition agrees with me."

Those adding their names to the cause include members of the ITV crew currently filming The Bay in Morecambe.

John, Morecambe born and bred, notices the clock's four lifeless faces most mornings when he and a friend go voluntary litter-picking between the lifeboat station and the Midland Hotel.

John, who worked at Heysham Harbour for 43 years, retiring as port supervisor, said: "I remember the days when most people didn't have a watch and relied on the clock tower. Just about every picture you see of Morecambe features the tower.

"Everyone still looks at it today, but it's not working. Being an old Morecambrian, it's not for me, I just want it to tick-tock!"

John thought it particularly important to have the landmark working properly with projects such as the Eden of the North being proposed.

The grade 2 listed clock tower was built in 1905, a gift to his native town by John Robert Birkett, Mayor from 1903-1906.

It was designed by two young architects, Charles Cressey and William Keighley, who were also responsible for the former Barclays Bank building in Euston Road.