(BRUSSELS) - The EU parliament is likely to hold another plenary session in Brussels this month as its normal Strasbourg chamber remains unusable after a roof collapse, sources said Wednesday.

Part of the roof collapsed over the deserted chamber in the French city of Strasbourg on August 7, sending 10 tonnes of rubble down.

As a result, the 785 members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are currently holding their first post summer-break plenary session in Brussels, where it has a separate building and chamber.

The incident has revived debated over whether the Strasbourg seat, where the parliament normally meets in plenary session four days a month, is a waste of money and carbon dioxide emissions.

In a symbolic protest, the UK Independence Party and 10 independent members of the parliament wore hard hats in the Brussels chamber on Tuesday to protest "the wasteful Strasbourg parliament building".

Strasbourg is the official seat of the European Parliament despite the fact that MEPs are present only 48 days a year. They do much of their work in Brussels, near the headquarters of the other EU institutions.

European sources said that while repairs in Strasbourg were being carried out apace, there was a high likelihood that the next parliamentary session, from September 22-25, would also have to be held in the Belgian capital which also hosts the European Commission and European Council buildings.

The parliament's deputy president, Gerard Onesta, said "the decision hasn't been taken yet".

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