Optimism over repairs to landslip-prone road

Workers were "cautiously optimistic" of finishing work to repair and stabilise Jiggers Bank, Shropshire, within 26 weeks, engineer Matt Day said

Engineers have said they remain "cautiously optimistic" that repairs at a landslip-prone road will not overrun.

Drilling work has begun to place anchors into the retaining wall along Jiggers Bank in Coalbrookdale, Shropshire.

The road into the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage site has been vulnerable to landslips.

The area was described as complex and a challenge by Telford & Wrekin Council engineer Matt Day.

"We always knew we would face challenges, there will be further challenges to face," he added.

"I'm going to remain cautiously optimistic that we will meet the programme."

Yellow crosses have been painted on the wall to show where holes need to be drilled to install anchors

Preparations for the work found the site had "deteriorated more than anticipated", the authority said as several areas of collapse were discovered.

Concrete was sprayed on to the wall to stop it from collapsing when drilling began into the wall and through to the rock behind it.

Stabilising anchors will then be inserted into the holes to pin the wall to the bedrock.

• Hear on BBC Sounds the latest on repair work along Jiggers Bank

The road closed in September for six months for the programme, with the route previously shut for landslip works in 2013 and 2015.

It was built as a single lane tramway in the 1700s before it was widened for modern transport.

"Originally it was designed for horse and cart yet we now have cars and lorries, all modern traffic, going up and down and the wall is showing signs of it," Mr Day said.

Arches in the wall needed to be checked to see what condition they were in, Mr Day said

Several arches were built as part of the wall and Mr Day said they were causing problems for the repair work.

"One of them has collapsed or we believe it to have collapsed," he said.

"So we have to go along and stabilise all the top of the wall to then expose these arches to see what condition they are in.

"That's one of the challenges of working in the gorge, you never know what you're going to get."