Sixth closure for science centre

Published on Thursday 29 September 2005 01:55

THE troubled Glasgow science centre tower has been closed for the sixth time this year, it was announced yesterday.

Staff at the 10 million attraction said they did not know when the 416ft tower will be open again.

As Scotland's tallest free-standing structure it was hoped that the rotating tower would be a major tourist draw - but since opening in July 2001 it has been plagued by problems.

A spokeswoman from the attraction said the tower would remain closed indefinitely.

"Regular use of Glasgow Tower has shown there to be a few technical issues whose cumulative effect is disrupting its smooth operation and reliability," she said. "In order to resolve these, Glasgow Tower will remain closed until we have reassurances that these issues have been addressed effectively."

The tower was paid for by a public partnership of European and Millennium funds, Scottish Enterprise and Glasgow City Council, and was hailed as the only tower in the world that can rotate from its base.

In January this year ten people were trapped in the tower lift for five hours after a cable snapped.