REPAIRS to a church walls in Malpas have faced further delays - meaning the work will not be completed until 2023.

Cheshire West and Chester Council had hoped to complete the repairs to the collapsed wall at St Oswald's Church by Christmas.

But it has now confirmed several factors have contributed to a delay.

A spokesperson said: "The latest works schedule for the repairs had a completion date of December 2022, but several factors have now contributed to a delay.

"The current extreme cold weather and an issue sourcing stone for the repairs means the work will not be finished before Christmas as planned."

However, the council confirmed that Church Street would be reopening during the Christmas break with one-way traffic signals in place.

It also confirmed work will continue until Friday, December 23 and the site will be made safe over the Christmas period with work resuming in the New Year.

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The spokesperson added: "No work will take place for the three working days between Christmas and New Year.

"A new completion date will be published as soon as a delivery date for the stone is confirmed.

"Initial indications suggest that the works will be completed early in the New Year."

The wall collapsed in January 2021 following heavy storms and a temporary repair was made.

However, full works have seen a series of setbacks.

The current repairs began in the the summer and were due to take a few weeks, but this was revised to Christmas due to an issue in sourcing experienced tradespeople to complete the work. 

It was also revealed at that time that the cost of the work had risen to £750,000.