好色先生TV

The decision to silence Big Ben鈥檚 bongs until 2021 will be reviewed when parliament returns in the autumn, after 鈥渃oncerns鈥� were expressed by MPs.

The House of Commons on Monday 21 August, to protect the hearing of workers carrying out conservation work.

But it has today announced a review of this decision, following criticism in the media and by MPs.

A new statement from the Commons said: 鈥淲hen Parliament returns, in light of concerns expressed by a number of MPs, the House of Commons Commission will consider the length of time that the bells will fall silent. Of course, any discussion will focus on undertaking the work efficiently, protecting the health and safety of those involved, and seeking to ensure resumption of normal service as soon as is practicable given those requirements.鈥�

It added that the bells will cease to ring, as planned, following the chimes at noon on 21 August.

The criticism of the original plan to silence Big Ben till 2021 led the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) to defend the decision.

A spokesperson said: 鈥淎s part of our regulatory role, HSE has liaised with both the client and the principal contractor on this major construction project in central London.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been concerned by a minority of the reaction to the announcement relating to the Big Ben conservation project in London. People鈥檚 health should not be made worse by the work they do, so it is important that no worker should suffer any hearing loss while working on this project. We find any attempt to trivialise this unhelpful.

鈥淭here is broad agreement that the noise risks associated with working around the clock bells are highly significant and we would expect the principal contractor to manage those risks.鈥�

The Elizabeth Tower, home to the Great Clock and the 13.7-tonne Great Bell 鈥� popularly known as Big Ben 鈥� is undergoing a complex programme of renovation work.

Sir Robert McAlpine was appointed last November for the 拢3.5m preconstruction contract, which involved assembly of scaffolding around the tower. A contractor for the main 拢29m restoration contract is due to be appointed in the autumn.