Teacher:In this task, you are given a text of many news articles seperated by special token "|||||". Your task is to summarize them.
Teacher: Now, understand the problem? Solve this instance: Image copyright PA Image caption The Great Clock has three dedicated clocksmiths who maintain it 
  
 Big Ben's bongs could fall silent if repairs costing up to £40m are not carried out, politicians have warned. 
  
 The Great Clock's hands, mechanism, pendulum and Elizabeth Tower need refurbishment, and failure to do so would cause "reputational damage", a cross-party report found. 
  
 It has been 31 years since its last overhaul. 
  
 A parliamentary spokesman said: "No decisions on works, timescales or costs have been agreed." 
  
 In its report, the Commons Finance Committee said problems had also been identified with the 156-year-old clock's tower, including cracks in the masonry. 
  
 Upgrades were also needed to bring the building in line with health and safety regulations, it said. 
  
 Image copyright PA Image caption Routine checks on the clock's performance are made three times a week 
  
 The report, seen by the Mail on Sunday and Sunday Times, said: "There are major concerns that if this is not carried out...the clock mechanism is at risk of failure with the huge risk of international reputational damage for Parliament. 
  
 "In the event of a clock-hand failure, it could take up to a year to repair due to the scaffolding needed." 
  
 'A little fit' 
  
 Officials said it would cost £4.9m "to prevent the clock from failing", but the report states the "full refurbishment" would cost £29m. 
  
 The addition of a visitor centre at the bottom of the tower, and installing a lift to the top could see the cost rise to £40m. 
  
 The parliamentary spokesperson said: "Committees of both Houses are currently considering the study." 
  
 In August, Big Ben made headlines when the bongs lagged behind by six seconds, causing interruptions to BBC Radio 4, which broadcasts the sound live. 
  
 At the time, clocksmith Ian Westworth said the clock "does have a little fit every now and then" due to its age. ||||| 'Symbol of democracy': A leaked Commons report has revealed that 156-year-old Big Ben is so dilapidated that its giant hands could fall off 
  
 Big Ben is so dilapidated that its giant hands could fall off, according to MPs responsible for maintaining the 156-year-old monument. 
  
 A leaked Commons report on the world’s most famous clock says it is so wonky it could grind to a halt, not with a bong but with a bang – forcing it to be closed for a year and reducing Britain to a laughing stock. 
  
 The threat emerged after MPs discussed a £29.2 million plan for ‘urgent’ repairs to Big Ben, which would involve shutting it down for four months, understood to be the longest stoppage in its history. 
  
 The warning was spelled out in a report to MPs which said there was a risk of ‘clock-hand failure’, adding: ‘It could stop – or worse.’ 
  
 One source close to the Commons Finance Committee which considered the report last week said some MPs believed ‘worse’ meant the clock hands could fall off. The 9ft gunmetal hour hands weigh 660lb. 
  
 Parliament is already facing a massive restoration bill of up to £7 billion because of the Palace of Westminster’s crumbling fabric. 
  
 But MPs were told the Big Ben crisis was so bad that it had to be tackled much more quickly. 
  
 The clock derives its name from the giant bell housed in the Elizabeth Tower, renamed in 2012 in honour of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, though both clock and tower are generally known as Big Ben. 
  
 The dramatically worded report to MPs said the entire clock mechanism was at risk, adding: ‘The clock currently has chronic problems with the bearings behind the hands and the pendulum. Either could become acute at any time, causing the clock to stop – or worse.’ Action was also needed to combat ‘severe metal erosion, cracks in the roof and other structural defects’ in the tower. 
  
 In an emotive appeal, the report invoked the clock’s role ‘as a symbol of democracy’ and its ‘international iconic status’, reminding MPs of their duty to repair Big Ben and preserve it for the nation – and the world. 
  
 ‘There are major concerns that if this is not carried out within the next two to three years, the clock mechanism is at risk of failure with the huge risk of international reputational damage for Parliament. 
  
 There are major concerns that if this is not carried out within the next two to three years, the clock mechanism is at risk of failure. Leaked Commons report 
  
 ‘In the event of a clock-hand failure, it could take up to a year to repair due to the scaffolding needed.’ 
  
 If the £29 million ‘full refurbishment’ were ratified, the clock would still have to stop for four months. 
  
 The previous longest shutdown was in 1976 when it stopped intermittently for 26 days over nine months while repairs were carried out – forcing BBC bulletins to make do with pips on the hour instead of Big Ben’s chimes. The Commons report said each of the four clock faces would need to be covered ‘one face at a time’ while the work was carried out. 
  
 The project would also involve creating a visitor centre at the foot of the 315ft tower and installing a lift as an alternative to the 334 steps, currently the only way visitors can reach the belfry. 
  
 Serious concern: The threat emerged after MPs discussed a £29.2 million plan for ‘urgent’ repairs to Big Ben, which would involve shutting it down for four months, understood to be the longest stoppage in its history 
  
 Officials admit it would cost only £4.9 million ‘to prevent the clock from failing’, but they insist that unless the full-scale of repairs is tackled now, it will cost far more than the proposed £29 million. 
  
 However, one MP said: ‘We’ve managed without a lift since Queen Victoria’s day so in these belt-tightening times, we can do without one a bit longer.’ ||||| Big Ben needs £40m bung to save the bongs 
  
 Big Ben on New Year’s Eve. Urgent repairs are needed to the clock’s mechanism and the roof and masonry of the 315ft tower, which was completed 156 years ago (Dan Kitwood/Getty ) 
  
 THE bongs of Big Ben, the world’s most famous bell, are set to fall silent for three years because of the urgent need for up to £40m of repairs and refurbishment to the clock tower. 
  
 The landmark, completed in 1859 and a focal point of new year celebrations in Britain and around the world, is in such a bad state that it is “ready to fail”, according to a Westminster source. 
  
 Officials say the three-year restoration programme needs to begin as soon as possible and cannot wait until the Palace of Westminster’s long-planned refit gets under way at the end of the decade. 
  
 There are not only structural problems — with the roof leaking, the clock housing badly corroded and large cracks in the masonry — but also faults with the clock’s hands and an imbalance with the pendulum that means it is struggling to keep good time. 
  
 The clock mechanism, which |||||
Student:
Big Ben's bongs may fall silent for months or even years as urgent repairs are carried out. Two of Britain's largest newspapers reported Sunday that Parliament's massive clock and the tower that supports it need as much as $61.7 million in repairs—work that will silence the famous bell. The Sunday Times, citing a Westminster source, says the clock is so dilapidated it may grind to a halt. Meanwhile, the Daily Mail on Sunday suggested the clock's hands could fall off without urgent action. It's been 31 years since its last major overhaul, the BBC notes, with a spokesman from Parliament noting, "No decisions on works, timescales, or costs have been agreed." The Times says repairs to the Elizabeth Tower must begin as soon as possible and can't wait for the $10.8 billion restoration of the entire Palace of Westminster that's scheduled to begin at the end of the decade. Big Ben has already shown signs of its wear and tear: In August, the bell messed up a live BBC broadcast of the structure's chiming when the bongs lagged six seconds behind, with a clocksmith at the time noting it "does have a little fit every now and then," per the BBC. (See where Big Ben falls on the list of the world's most photographed landmarks.)