Poles at the parliament losing shine

THE shine is starting to wear off the Scottish Parliament four years after its official opening.

The coating on oak poles on the canopy over the public entrance is now nearing the end of its life.

Two sections of the canopy have been temporarily removed to test treatments with longer life-spans.

But officials insisted there was nothing to substantiate claims in a construction industry magazine that as many as 1000 oak poles may have to be taken down.

The magazine, Building, quoted an unnamed source as saying: "The desperate rush to get the parliament open before the work was properly finished means we have a never-ending snagging list."

Officials said the current life of the coating on the canopy was three to four years.

A parliament spokesman said: "We are considering carrying out work to extend the maintenance life of the resin coatings on the oak lattices in the public entrance canopy.

"This would involve removing sections of the canopy then stripping, sanding and recoating the wood.

"The purpose of this approach would be to extend the maintenance life of the coating."