Work starts to stabilise old quayside in Bridgnorth
Builders have started work on a £44,000 project to fix a section of Bridgnorth's ancient quayside.
Specialists have been drafted in from Porthmadog in Wales to carry out repairs on the wall along the River Severn in Low Town.
Anchors are being installed to stop subsidence, with new concrete foundations being laid to add further security.
Foreman Mick Cook, who has worked with Colin Jones (Rock Engineering) Ltd for 16 years, said: "At the moment we just have the wall anchors in, which are mechanical anchors that are better for the environment.
"We can't use the usual grout because it could get into the river and if we used hollow bar anchors they would have to be put in 20 metres into the wall, so you'd end up going under people's houses.
"We'll also be underpinning the existing foundations with concrete beams. This work is actually easier than grouting and is the only technique that would work here. It's also quicker and cheaper.
"The good thing about this work is that it's all hidden underneath so it doesn't affect or change the surroundings."
Work began this week and is expected to last a further two weeks but everything hinges on rainfall and the river levels.
Mr Cook said: "At the moment the water is not up to the wall but really if it gets any higher we'll have to stop working.
"Fingers crossed that won't happen at least until we can remove all the hydraulic equipment because that also costs money to hire."
Damage to the walkway, which has two sets of steps that lead to the river, was caused by storms and floods.
The damage was noticed during an inspection last year but further exploratory work has revealed a third set of steps could be causing the majority of problems.
Mr Cook added: "There are two sets of steps and we believe there was a third set in the middle, which has been filled in but not very well. The foundations there have started to give way and the wall has pushed out.
"That's why we're using test anchors first because we don't know what's behind the wall.
"The weather has washed away all the previous foundations underneath and caused it to subside."
