Station's Victorian clocks to undergo repairs

The clocks at Newcastle Central Station have been showing the wrong time for more than two years

Three Victorian clocks are to undergo repairs after showing the wrong time for more than two years.

The clocks installed at Newcastle Central Station are located above the building's main entrance but have been unable to assist those looking to check the correct time before catching a train.

Network Rail said the clocks' position high above the station entrance made them difficult to reach and repairs took months to plan.

The company said repair work was set to take place next week and engineers would have all three "working like clockwork" soon.

Graham Soult, who regularly uses the station, highlighted the issue on social media when he noticed one of the clocks was showing the same wrong time in two pictures taken years apart.

"The clock at Newcastle Central Station has been stuck at ten-past nine for more than two years," he tweeted.

"How hard is it to make a clock tell the correct time?"

A spokesman for Network Rail apologised that the clocks had "not been doing their job recently".

"They are positioned high on the station’s portico and because of where they are – 10m (33ft) off the ground – repairs are challenging and take many months to plan," he said.

"It has also taken time to secure the funding to carry out the much-needed repairs.

“The good news is our teams will be starting work next week to repair and upgrade all three roofline clocks with new hands, mechanisms and lighting so they will soon be working like clockwork again for passers-by and passengers."