THE agents handling the purchase of the crumbling Mechanics' Institute have promised to reveal the identity of the new owners within days.

In the meantime the mysterious new owners are in dialogue with Swindon Council about undertaking the £300,000 worth of urgent work needed on the site.

Work has already started on clearing rubbish, vegetation and pigeon droppings from the Grade II* listed building in the heart of Swindon's Railway Village, with the promise of boarding the site up to secure it.

Mesh will also be placed around the upper levels of the 149-year-old Great Western Railway worker's community centre.

This will prevent intrusion by pigeons and other birds before the building is finally weatherproofed.

Peter Barefoot, who is brokering the sale of the building on behalf of property agents Alder King, said: "We are on the cusp of completing the sale and are now just days away from having a new owner.

"They have been funding the clear-up operation and are trying to make the building clean and tidy.

"And they have entered into a dialogue with the council ahead of submitting a detailed planning application."

Speculation has surrounded the identity of the new owners since the Even-ing Advertiser revealed that previous owners, Mount-mead Limited, had decided to sell the Emlyn Square building at the beginning of the year.

Martha Parry, spokeswoman for the New Mechanics' Preservation Trust, said: "We want to see the works so we are pleased with the progress.

"But we would like to know more about exactly who is undertaking them and don't understand why they should hide behind the cloak of anonymity."

What is known is that the new owners of the building want to restore it for a variety of uses.

This could include part residential.