Power surge behind Town Hall clock stoppage

Time has come to a standstill in Welshpool quite literally over the past few weeks after the Town Hall was struck by a power surge.

Electricity was cut to the iconic building last month, causing a weekend of disruption for the market hall, but its clock has been a long term casualty.

Last night, Town Mayor, Cllr Alison Davies, explained what happened and said it should be back in working order next week.

“When there was that power surge in Welshpool and the electricity was off in the Town Hall, SPEN (Scottish Power) evidently had several issues to deal with at the same time,” she said.

“They arrived in Welshpool and dug up part of Hall Street to discover that all three cables into the Town Hall had burned through and melted. The clock was evidently affected by this and despite attempts by our very handy outdoor team, it remains not working.

“We have been waiting since then for the clockmakers to come out and we do have a date, which is next week on Friday (October 22).

“Of course the clockmakers, who work all over the country, have been constrained in their work with staff isolating through Covid and others affected by access to fuel. Anyway, we do finally have a date for the repair.”

Meanwhile, the Town Hall has been lit up in pink this week (pictured) to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week.

“Welshpool Town Council wished this to be a small gesture to demonstrate our support as a community for the families affected by such a loss,” added Cllr Davies.