Workers repairing the window casing of one of Big Ben's four faces in 2010 AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

BIG BEN’S BONGS may fall silent for months or even years as urgent repairs are carried out.

Two of Britain’s largest newspapers have reported that Parliament’s massive clock and the tower that supports it need as much as £40 million (€55 million) in repairs — work that will silence the famous bell, Big Ben.

The Sunday Times, citing a Westminster source, says the clock is so dilapidated it may grind to a halt. The Mail on Sunday suggested the clock’s hands could fall off without urgent action.

The Times says repairs to the Elizabeth Tower must begin as soon as possible and can’t wait for the £7 billion (€9.5 billion) restoration of the entire Palace of Westminster that is scheduled to begin at the end of the decade.

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