LEADERS at a village church near Taunton plan to reposition the clock on the tower.

The clock at Grade II listed St John the Evangelist Church, in Staplegrove, is currently not working after its mechanism was removed.

The parochial church council is now seeking planning permission from Somerset West and Taunton Council to move it to the right of its current position as you look at the church so it can start working again.

The clock was initially installed in 1977 to commemorate the Queen's Silver Jubilee.

But it is not currently operating after the bells in the tower were recently rehung, which involved the repositioning of some of the supporting beams.

Now, during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee year, a statement with the planning application says: "To reinstate the clock, it will need to be repositioned.

"There is very limited space within the tower and the clock cannot be located on the tower’s central axis.

"Since the clock was offset from the tower centre when originally installed to avoid interfering with the operation of the bells, the intention is now to reinstate it at the same height but offset at the same distance from the eastern edge of the tower instead of the western edge, as it is at present.

"It will then be located behind the fourth bell and will not compromise the clock’s operation."

"The clock is operated by a simple electric mechanism, and this will be refurbished and reinstalled.

"The clock face will need to be removed and the opportunity will be taken to re-gild it with 24 carat gold leaf prior to returning it to the tower and fixing it in place using stainless steel screws.

"The small residual holes in the tower stonework will be made good using lime mortar."