(The Daily Mail) –Big Ben’s clock stopped for more than hour today, leaving Westminster sleuths baffled.
The timepiece in the structure was frozen at 9am until gone 10am, before its hands were seen being moved forwards to display the correct time.
A House of Commons spokesman admitted that the dials on what is formally known as the Great Clock of Westminster were ‘temporarily displaying the incorrect time’ before the issue was rectified.
The hourly strikes of the bells were also paused and will resume at midday. They too reportedly malfunctioned by performing 11 chimes at 10.06am.
The quirk has occurred despite the fact that the clock, tower and bells were refurbished in 2022.
The clock’s stoppage, along with news that five Household Cavalry horses have run loose in Central London, prompted social media users to joke that it is the ‘end of days’.
One said on X: ‘Big Ben has stopped, there are horses on the loose in London. Why would the end of days begin on a Wednesday?’
Another wrote: ‘Horses running wild, Big Ben has stopped. It will be zombies next.’
A third said: ‘A white horse covered in blood is running through the streets of London and Big Ben has stopped; if the ravens leave Tower Green it’s end days.’
The clock is housed in the Elizabeth Tower, which was known simply as the Clock Tower until 2012, when it was renamed to mark the late Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
The delay in the bells re-starting is due to the need to reset the mechanism that powers them.
A House of Commons spokesperson said: ‘We are aware that the clock dials on the Elizabeth Tower were temporarily displaying the incorrect time this morning.
‘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.’
A five-year £80million restoration of Big Ben was completed in 2022.
The bell at the world-famous London landmark was barely rung while the tower was covered in scaffolding – which was removed in late 2021.
