A SHOWPIECE Glasgow museum has sprung a leak again - just five months after bosses were first forced to put buckets out to catch drips.

Visitors turned up last weekend to see the buckets were back out as water trickled through the celing at the Burrell Collection. Water embarrassment for city EVENING TIMES journalist GARRY SCOTT visited the Burrell and was shocked by what he found...

The Burrell Collection is one of the jewels in Glasgow's crown.

It attracts 200,000 visitors every year - many from across the globe.

So I was shocked to find buckets placed around the world-famous museum to combat the leaky roof when I visited with my family.

And I was EMBARRASSED to stand next to foreign visitors as they looked in amazement at the buckets.

What makes it even more disappointing is that museum bosses promised to fix the roof more than a decade ago.

Sir William Burrell, who donated this amazing collection to Glasgow, must be turning in his grave.

Culture bosses say none of the precious artefacts in the famous museum on the city's South Side have been damaged.

And they insist that fixing the roof - which has been a problem since the 90s - is a priority. But it's been 10 years since the promise to properly repair it was made.

And greeting visitors at a top museum with buckets half full of water is hardly the right image for a city which was UK City of Architecture and Design in 1999 and European City of Culture in 1990.

Neil Baxter, secretary of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, has warned in the past that the flat roof of the building needs constant and substantial maintenance.

He said: "The Burrell building is every bit as important as the collection it houses. The roof has always been problematic, partly due to original building defects rather than its design.

"It is now 25 years old and due for some TLC."

Museums boss Mark O'Neill said in 1999 it would be fixed within five years at an estimated cost of £2million.

He promised it was the number one priority after the refurbishment of Glasgow Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum- which was finished in 2006.

But in September priceless artefacts had to be rescued as rain seeped in and staff ran out of buckets to collect the water, as reported in the Evening Times.

Then last weekend buckets were once again seen dotted throughout the display areas of the Pollok Park museum which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year and houses the collection of 9000 objects gathered by shipping magnate Sir William Burrell.

It's understood the dripping roof is a problem which happens intermittently.

A spokesman for Culture and Sport Glasgow, which runs the venue, said only one item has been moved because of the latest leaks as a precaution, and nothing had been damaged.

He said: "Staff at the Burrell ensure there's no threat to items in the collection when the roof leaks. Repairing the roof continues to be a priority."

A spokeswoman for the Royal Institute of British Architects added: "The Burrell Museum in Pollok Park is a much-loved building, housing an impressive collection of artefacts and sculptures; it would be a real shame if these were damaged."