Confusion in town over out-of-shape clock hands

By Chloe Harcombe, BBC News, West of England • Joe Lemer, BBC Radio Bristol
BBC Image of a clock. The hands of the clock are twisted and pointing in different directionsBBC
The Keynsham Clock's hands are currently "curled up, bent and out of shape”

Mystery surrounds the hands on a clock tower after they became “curled up, bent and out of shape”.

The Keynsham Clock, which was commissioned by Bath and North East Somerset (BANES) Council in 2015, has three sides and three clock faces. Only one of the faces is affected.

One of the clock hands is still attached, whilst another has fallen loose within the casing.

A spokesperson from BANES Council said: “We are aware of the problem and will be fixing it.”

The cause of the problem is not yet clear, but there is speculation that the damage occurred in the recent hot weather.

Image of The Keynsham Clock. It is a tower, with many small, square images on its base. The clock face is covered in a thick, black material. One of the clock hands can be seen broken off and lying across the edge of the clock, between the numbers 7 and 9.
The cause of the damage is unknown

Debbie, who lives in the town, told BBC Radio Bristol: "The banding around the clock has come off, I think."

Her theory is that the black banding broke off before landing in the middle of the two hands, causing one to break.

Others have likened the clock to "ribbons", a "spider" and Salvador Dali's painting, The Persistence of Memory.

Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.