TWO-and-a-half years after it was rebuilt, a Blackburn landmark has been closed for maintenance.

The clock tower in King William Street – part of the £66million redevelopment of The Mall – has been closed for a month.

It provides access to the car parks of the shopping centre, but has been cordoned off from the public while painting work is carried out.

Loraine Jones, general manager at The Mall Blackburn, said: “The clock tower is closed for pre-planned maintenance work and will reopen in about four weeks.”

The Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen Mayor, Coun Karimeh Foster, said the council had been contacted by people thinking the tower was its responsibility.

She said: “Because of the height of the tower, scaffolding has to be brought in, and, I’m told, for health and safety reasons that’s why it’s been closed off.

“It’s an inconvenience to people, but it’s just one of those things, and The Mall is being responsible.”

Coun Mike Lee, leader of the Conservatives on Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: “It’s a landmark in the town centre, and it’s not good to have it closed off for so long.”

At 55ft tall and built from 120 glass panels, the new tower was unveiled to much fanfare on December 16, 2009 – eight months after the demolition of the much-maligned 1960s clock tower.

The original clock tower was built in 1848. It had a brass ball which was raised at noon and lowered at 1pm.

In December 1964, it was demolished along with the Victorian Market Hall and a concrete clock tower was built in the 1960s.