LONG-AWAITED repairs to the collapsed wall at a church in Malpas will finally begin later this month.

Cheshire West and Chester Council has confirmed work will begin at St Oswald's Church on Monday, August 15.

A temporary repair was made to the wall after it collapsed in January 2021.

Deputy leader and Cabinet member for Environment, Highways and Strategic Transport, Councillor Karen Shore said: "I am pleased to be able to confirm that the preparatory work is now complete, the design of the repair has been finalised, all approvals have been secured, and work to permanently repair the wall is due to start Monday, August 15."

The contractors carrying out the repairs have permission to work Monday to Saturday starting at 8am at the earliest and finishing no later than 5pm.

The wall repair works will not require any road closures initially. However, it will become necessary later as the work progresses, to protect the public and the workforce, for a closure to be put in place on Church Street.

The works are expected to be finished by autumn 2022, but this is subject to there being no unexpected disruptions to the work.

The council will be taking the opportunity in early August, before the work to the wall begins, to carry out improvements to make some roads in the area safer for the travelling public. This will require the closure of Mastiff Lane for an anticipated two-day period.

Although these local roads do not form part of the official diversion route, the council's highways team is aware they will be used by more traffic when the Church Street closure is in place.

Councillor Shore added: "I would like to take this opportunity to thank residents and businesses for their patience and support.

"The repair of the wall is a complex engineering project due to the sensitivity and historic significance of the site. When combined with the age of the wall this has meant it has not been a straightforward repair.

"We will continue to do all we can to ensure these works are carried out as quickly as possible."