The showpiece fountain in Walsall town centre is to remain and form part of the new-look market area rather than be moved elsewhere, council chiefs said today.

The option of repositioning the Source of Ingenuity – which has been dry since 2005 – from its home on The Bridge was raised earlier this year. But the structure, part of the £2 million Civic Square, is to stay where it is for the “forseeable future” despite now being now being more of a public art piece.

The town’s near 800-year-old market is now expected to be move nearer the heart of the town centre in November ahead of the busy Christmas period – around a year later than planned.

This followed lengthy talks with Threadneedle which operates the Old Square Shopping Centre and had raised concerns.

Council regeneration chief Councillor Adrian Andrew said of the fountain: “From the original layout it fitted in quite well and could become more of a focal point with the market being moved nearby.

“It is not as simple as moving the fountain as it would costs hundreds of thousands of pounds. In the forseeable future I imagine it will stay where it is.”

Water no longer flows from the structure and council chiefs admitted earlier this year they could not afford to switch it back on and needed to identify other sources of funding.

It was turned off in 2005 because of fears of Legionnaires Disease contamination. But now there are thousands of pounds worth of repairs needed.

The 12ft high fountain, previously dubbed the Hair in the Square, is based on Janus the two-faced Roman god of time.

It was designed by artist Tom Lomax who created Birmingham’s controversial The Spirit of Enterprise.

It has previously been a target for yobs, causing thousands of pounds to be spent on repairs since it was opened in July 2001. This has included vandals armed with tools punching out decorative lights.