London, Jan 3: An expert has launched a scathing attack on the Princess Diana memorial fountain, branding it an “engineering disaster.”

Bob Munroe, of Cirencester Civil Engineers, is of the view that the 3.6million pounds monument is so poorly built that it leaks hundreds of litres of water a day and is sinking.

Munroe, whose firm were called in to do repair works, said that the only way to mend the memorial in London’s Hyde Park was to pull it all down and start again.

“It’s a disaster. Hundreds of litres are leaking away every day and as a result it’s causing subsidence and making the paths rise up and buckle,” The Sun quoted Munroe, as saying.

“The only way to fix the problem is to pull it all down and start again.

“They don’t want people to find out how bad it is leaking, so they keep paying for temporary measures.

“I was told when it was built the contractors didn’t have time to do it properly,” he added.

The memorial, which is in the form of a ring with water flowing in two directions, has been inundated with problems since it opened in 2004.

However, the Royal Parks agency has denied that the fountain which attracts 800,000 visitors a year, was in a mess.

“It is not sinking, subsiding or leaking,” a spokesman said. (ANI)