Cumbrian clock company to help turn back Big Ben

Mr Scobie-Youngs said a member of the team would start work on the clock at 18:00 BST on Saturday evening.

Working with a Westminster-based team, the lights will be turned off and the hands moved up to the 12 o’clock position.

They will then use the downtime to do some servicing on the mechanics.

“Then at one o’clock – when we know it’s bang on the hour – we switch the dial lights back on,” Mr Scobie-Youngs said.

He said they used GPS technology to ensure the clock is restarted at exactly the right time.

“The clock is 160-odd years old, but it’s still an incredible piece of kit, capable of absolute excellent time keeping.”