Ironbridge Gorge repairs in Jackfield 'will last for 100 years'
Work to stabilise part of a Shropshire World Heritage Site 'will last at least 100 years', according to experts working on the site.
The Jackfield area of the Ironbridge Gorge is undergoing work to try to reduce the landslides that have blighted the area for years.
Surveys and investigations are taking place as part of the Jackfield Stabilisation Project, and the results will help form the final designs which will be completed later this year.
Government funding has been awarded to the scheme, with the condition that it must be completed by April 2016.
Councillor Richard Overton, the Telford & Wrekin cabinet member with responsibility for the project, said: "Telford & Wrekin Council has spent more than £16m tackling land instability in the Gorge since 2001 and this, combined with the £12m government funding, is enabling us to carry out this complex technical project."
The council is concentrating the initial work between the Jackfield tile museum and the Boat Inn.
The whole of the Ironbridge Gorge suffers from landslides, but this area is particularly unstable.
Katherine Morris, a geo environmental engineer working with Telford & Wrekin Council, said: "It has a 100 year design life. That's the minimum time that the design will work for before it needs work."
She explained that there are two boring and drilling rigs in the area. The rigs drop a long metal pole into the earth, then pull it back up and repeat the process until solid rock is hit.
The public is invited to get updates on the project and comment on proposals on April 16 at Jackfield Village Hall from 2pm to 8pm. Work is also expected to start soon in Church Hill to stabilise the highway.
