Teams drafted in to fix Big Ben clock after it stops working
Engineers were drafted in to fix Westminster's famous Big Ben clock after it stopped on Wednesday morning.
An incorrect number of bongs also sounded at the wrong time when the Elizabeth Tower clock appeared to stop for about an hour at 9am.
Big Ben’s iconic bongs rang out at 10:06am instead of on the hour.
A House of Commons spokesman said: “We are aware that the clock dials on the Elizabeth Tower were temporarily displaying the incorrect time this morning [Wednesday April 24].
"Teams worked quickly to rectify the issue and carried out servicing to the mechanism, which has now completed.
"The clock dials of the Elizabeth Tower are currently functioning as normal and no risks to the integrity of the mechanism have been identified."
Following the historic refurbishment of the Great Clock, rigorous and regular servicing takes place in line with horological industry standards, to ensure the clock can continue to function correctly."
The clock was showing the correct time again at 10:15am.
Occasional stoppages are part of the “bedding in” process for the clock, as the mechanism wears in.
The hourly strikes of the bells are expected to resume at midday on Wednesday after the system is reset.
Big Ben was silenced between August 2017 and November 2022 during restoration work to the Elizabeth Tower, estimated to have cost around £80million.
The clock stopped working twice in one week last July, a year after the completion.
The Great Bell, commonly called Big Ben, weighs 13.7 tonnes and strikes every hour, to the note of E natural.
It is accompanied by four quarter bells that chime every 15 minutes.