A DRAGON which forced a town centre to close at the weekend has been caged.

The one-and-half ton hand-carved stone dragon, on top of Middlesbrough Town Hall, was found to be unstable by workmen carrying out renovation work on the Victorian building.

On Friday, as high winds rocked it back and forth, pedestrians and traffic were banned from surrounding roads.

Windy weather again prevented workmen from removing the dragon on Saturday, so it was reinforced and covered with a cage. The roads were reopened at about 3pm.

A Middlesbrough Borough Council spokesman said yesterday the dragon would remain caged until it could be taken down safely and further reinforced.

"Council workers and our contractors, Stonetech, have been there all over the weekend, working in atrocious conditions," he said.

l Last week, a sightseer died after she was struck by a pinnacle which fell from All Saints' Church, in York.