Weather halts Barr Beacon war memorial's revamp
Work to revamp one of the region's most famous landmarks has suffered more than a month's worth of delays this year due to bad weather.
Thief-proof metal and security cameras have been installed at the historic Barr Beacon War Memorial in Walsall in a bid to stop vandals targeting the landmark, but around a fortnight of work remains and contractors are hoping to go back on site on Tuesday.
Site manager Ron Graham said there had been five weeks of setbacks since Christmas, with temperatures of -8C (17.6F) and snow drifts near the site making it impossible to work through.
Handrails and bannisters still need to be installed, work needs to be finished on the underside of the domed roof and the flagpole needs to be erected.
Improvements being carried out are part of a £440,000 project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Work is being done by Aldridge-based Midland Conservation Ltd.
Zinc has been installed at its domed roof, which will be worthless to thieves.
Thieves caused damage put at thousands of pounds when they struck twice in 2011, ripping copper off the monument.
The Barr Beacon Trust also agreed to fund a CCTV camera system with help from the SmartWater security firm.
