Same thing happened to my similar era Dawes Galaxy forks. Our bikes are probably only a year or two apart.
It was a great shame but gave the opportunity to replace the forks with ones which fit 700c wheels with cantilever studs rather than 27” and callipers.
I had studs brazed on the rear for 700c too - sadly the gorgeous green paint was burnt off a bit but the frame builder did an excellent job and kept the paint damage to a minimum, about 60mm on each stay.
The replacement forks were cheap from Roseversand (15 years ago!). Sadly Roseversand don’t ship to the UK at present but they’re similar to
https://www.rosebikes.com/keine-marke-28700c-1-atb-touring-fork-30485?product_shape=black.
For me the bike was worth saving and improving. As already suggested above, the simplest and cheapest fix will be suitable new or second hand replacements from
eBay in a colour you can live with.