IT is becoming something of an annoying tradition in Dymock for the church clock to break down just in time for the New Year.

Last year, waiting for the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve was quite a problem in the village, near Ledbury, because the clock, which had suffered from repeated malfunctions, wasn't working.

And although the clock has not been struck by lightning, it seems that lightning can indeed strike twice, because the clock is out of action once again.

And for the second year in a row it will not be ticking for the start of New Year.

Needless to say, no-one on the Parish Council will be setting off fireworks to celebrate this unhappy fact.

Instead, the council, which is responsible for repairs, is facing a hefty repair bill of around £700.

Parish councillor, Terry Ball said: "It's happened again. This is becoming a tradition we can do without, to be honest, and I can't believe it, because the clock broke down this time last year.

"It's a bit of a nuisance, to say the least."

Cllr Ball, who said the latest repairs would not be completed until "some time in January", said a different problem had caused the church clock to stop for the second New Year in a row.

Last year, the electrically powered re-wind unit was diagnosed as faulty and removed to the workshop of Smiths of Derby, where it was fitted with new shafts and gears and a new drive motor.

This work was completed in February and the clock kept good time until Christmas approached once again.

The latest, seasonal breakdown was due to a failure of the spring that regulates the pendulum.

Cllr Ball said: "On top of the clock is an A-frame from which is suspended a steel strip that supports the pendulum and allows it to swing, thus controlling the timekeeping of the clock.

"After many hundreds of thousands of pendulum swings, metal fatigue caused the spring to shear."

He added: "An engineer has now removed the spring and its holding blocks."

But it will be several weeks before the clock is working again.