BOLTON'S two big clocks are squaring up for the battle of the chimes - to see which will be the first one to ring in the Millennium.

The Town Hall clock and Bolton parish church clock will chime on the stroke of midnight, January 1, 2000.

But, according to maintenance men responsible for the clocks, it is unlikely if not impossible that the bells of both will sound out for celebrations to start at the same time.

And it has led to claims from the Town Hall and St Peter's Church that the other clock is less accurate.

It follows a report in the BEN last Monday that clocks in the town centre are not running to the correct time.

Chiming

At the moment, the Town Hall clock is the first to strike the hour, 10 seconds before St Peter's Church.

But both are just a bit too early, with the Town Hall chiming 30 seconds before the correct time, according to the speaking clock, and Bolton parish church chiming 20 seconds early.

Stephen Mort, caretaker at St Peter's Church, said: "We always say the town hall's is wrong because our clock is electronically run."

But Mr Mort conceded the parish church clock, which was installed 128 years ago, is only as accurate as the wrist watch being used by the person who sets the time, usually himself.

And there is an in-built inaccuracy as the clock takes a few milli-seconds to start up once the time has been changed.

However, the clock itself should run true once it is set going because it has just been serviced in the past few days.

Mr Mort added: "I think we would be disappointed if the Town Hall clock was to strike before ours, if it was down to that clock's inaccuracy, but the most important thing is that our clock tells the right time."

Town Hall spokesman Alf Atkinson said the town hall clock, installed two years after the parish clock last century, was also now electronically driven with a modern gear box and was highly accurate.

He added: "Bolton will be in tune with time on New Year's Eve because like many others, we use the speaking clock as an accuracy check.

"Each year on December 1, we check the time with the speaking clock and, if necessary, adjust the Town Hall clock to make sure the two coincide so that we strike midnight on the dot."

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