THE clock on the tower of St James’ Chapel will be out of action for a week in late November while essential maintenance is carried out to the bell frame.

The work is the latest in a series of renovation and maintenance works to be carried out on the clock tower in the last couple of years.

The vicar of Okehampton, the Rev Stephen Cook said: ‘We can’t have the bells chiming every 15 minutes while the contractors are at work, it would drive them mad, so we will have to stop the clock for a while.

‘I am letting as many people as possible know because when the clock stops my phone starts ringing with people wanting me to do something about it!  It will be back in action very soon.’