WARRINGTON Borough Council is being urged to act swiftly to preserve the borough's Golden Gates after 'chunks' of the 'landmark' fell to the ground.

Stephen Paget came across the damage while walking past the Town Hall, on Sankey Street, last Thursday, February 16.

He immediately reported it to the council but fears severe weather could result in further damage.

The Leicester Street resident said: "I explained to them where it looked like it fell from and that someone could have got hurt.

"It could have been really bad, the pieces are quite heavy.

"They need to get them checked out quickly. If we have any more really windy nights it may push more of it off and chunks could fall on someone.

"It is part of our Warrington heritage and is one of the main landmarks here.

"When people come to Warrington on day trips you see them outside looking at the gates and taking pictures."

The council said it is 'aware' the Grade II listed structure is 'in need of some repair work'.

A spokesman added: "We will be taking action to resolve this in the near future.

"Safety is of the utmost importance to us and the gates are monitored on a regular basis by our property and estates team.

"They will carry out further checks on the gates to evaluate if any further action is required in the short term.

"Due to the historic nature of the gates, which are listed, any repair work will need to be carried out by specialists.

"We are currently in talks with a number of companies, in order to obtain the best value for money for the borough.

"The listed status of the gates, along with their historical value, means that we will also need to obtain specific heritage consents to carry out the work."

Work to repair a 'collapsing' ceiling at the Town Hall also looks set to begin.

A planning application was submitted by the council for structural repairs to the barrel-vaulted ceiling holding the ground floor lobby in place in the east annexe.

Proposals for the listed site confirmed the job will involve installing new brick piers and lintels to hold up the ceiling.

The development management committee is expected to approve the plans today, Wednesday.