DARWEN'S mayor is calling for the town to take better care of its old buildings after the clock faces on Darwen town hall and market had gone out and no one had noticed.

Cllr Roy Davies said he was concerned when he noticed the light in the clock faces had gone out on Thursday and was horrified when he realised he had no idea how long the lights had been out.

He said: “I was in town at tea time this week and wanted to check what time it was.

“I looked up at the clock, and that’s when I noticed the light had gone out.

“It could have been gone for ages and either no one has noticed or no one has thought to report it.

“It’s sad to think now these buildings which are the pride of our town are being ignored.”

The clocks, which date back to 1899, are housed in the clock tower above the town and market hall, which was opened in 1882.

The hall is considered by many to be the heart and focal point of the town and recently underwent refurbishment to create five traditional shops in the front of the building, restoring it to it’s 1880’s style, as a celebration of the town’s heritage.

Cllr Davies said:”We have so many wonderful old building in Darwen but we aren’t maintaining them.

“I was down at St Cuthbert’s Church for the heritage festival and their clock face needs rewiring, but they haven’t got the funds to get it fixed.

“We have such a rich heritage and the buildings are a huge part of that.

“It’s a shame we aren’t making the most of the town’s assets.

“We should be lighting all these places up in Darwen.”

Blackburn with Darwen Council said they had been made aware of the issue.

A spokesman said: “The fault was reported to us on Thursday.

“The job has been allocated to an electrician to remedy, which will be actioned early next week.”