Storm-hit Wednesbury Museum and Art Gallery closed for a month
Wednesbury Museum could be closed for up to month after a serious water leak caused damage to the building.
The museum, in Holyhead Road, was forced to close its doors to visitors earlier this month after the recent storms impacted the purpose-built Victorian art gallery.
Carpets and decorations upstairs in the museum were badly damaged during the water leak – and it is expected to take three to four weeks to carry out repair work. Scaffolding has been put up to the side of the building, while the work is carried out.
Activities for this week's half-term were forced to be moved to other locations in the Sandwell borough including at Manor House Museum, while regular user groups had to find other locations to meet up.
A spokesman for Sandwell Council said the cost of the damage to Wednesbury Museum is not yet known.
It is hoped that normal activities at the museum can resume in the downstairs part of the building this week.
Museum service manager, Frank Caldwell, said: "There was a serious water leak during the recent storms and carpets and decorations upstairs have been badly damaged.
“Repair work on the roof and redecoration upstairs will take about three or four weeks.
“Next week, we are hoping to resume some of our normal activities in the downstairs part of the building. We have also managed to transfer some of Wednesbury’s Halloween events to the Manor House.”
Wednesbury South Councillor Bob Lloyd said: "It is an absolute shame that this has happened – but we have been given reassurance from the museum service that it will be put right and will be repaired.
"It is always difficult with old buildings, it is not always easy to repair the building.
"We have been given reassurance that the museum will reopen as quickly as it can. We have not been given a timescale yet but it is a popular place and they do have a lot of things on during half term and in the build-up to Halloween.
"It is devastating to see it closed but things like this happen. It needs to be safe and secure for the visitors and staff that work there.
"Hopefully the museum will be back in operation soon. They have to be assured because of the age of the building. I have got every faith it will be back open as quickly as it can."
