Unlit Shrewsbury clock hands leave passers-by in the dark

Scaffolding has been removed from around Shrewsbury Market Hall's new clock – but passers-by still remain in the dark about the time.

The hands on its clock face are yet to light up or start ticking, with the sight causing confusion for people, who can see only the illuminated numbers on the clock face at the moment.

One trader, who did not wish to be named, said: "It is a bit strange, you can see the numbers lit up at night but there are no hands. When you look closely you can see the hands are pointing to noon."

But representatives from Smith of Derby, which has been carrying out the work on the clock, said it should be operational in about a week once all the scaffolding has been removed.

Keith Cotton, general manager of the company's Whitchurch office, said: "We are actually waiting for a phone call from the contractor that the scaffolding is fully down."

He said the clock hands would be set to the right time and lit up to complete the job.

Renovation work on the market hall, including its clock tower, began in May when scaffolding was put up around the building.

The market hall officially opened in 1965 but trading began on November 21, 1964. The building, which cost about £1 million and was developed by Second Covent Garden Property Co Ltd, stands on the site of the old market hall which was built in 1869