THE building, which houses the Burrell Collection, has needed major refurbishment for some time now.

For years a persistent problem with the roof has led to visitors entering the museum, housing internationally important artefacts, only to be met with the sight of buckets catching the rain.

So, closure and a proper repair job which will provide a museum building of which the city can again be proud is the only answer.

The revamp of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum led to a huge increase in visitor numbers and hopefully the Burrell can achieve a similar feat.

Funding will be an issue, and it is unreasonable to expect the council to fork out taxpayers cash at a time when jobs are being cut and £70m of cuts have to be found.

Obviously, the wishes of Sir William Burrell at the time of the bequest are important, but the world today is a different place, and who knows what his wishes would be now.

The key thing is to ensure the Burrell Collection is displayed in an equally impressive setting, in a museum fit to welcome the world, without breaking the bank.

The city already loans out works of art to other countries safely and with the right protection the same can be achieved with the Burrell collection.