WORK to make a church spire in “danger of collapse” safe has taken place today, with the spire brought down.

A section of road outside the former Emmanuel Evangelical Church with a spire that is in “imminent danger of collapse” was likely to be closed for up to two weeks Worcestershire Highways originally said.

A large crane arrived outside the church in A449 Wells Road this morning and Worcestershire Highways said the dangerous spire was removed around 1pm.

Jon Frasier, head of highways at Worcestershire County Council, said they were aiming for the road to reopen at 6pm tonight with the pavement next to the church closed and two way traffic lights in place.

"The local diversions have been removed," he said.

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"The crane will be back as there is still some further work to carry out, on the stone. We will let people know when this happens."

Residents living nearby were advised to leave the area ahead of the work.

The section of road outside the former Emmanuel Evangelical Church was originally closed following an inspection of the church by Malvern Hills District Council last Thursday, July 2, by building inspectors from Malvern Hills District Council, that advised the spire was in "imminent danger of collapse".

South Worcestershire Building Control has been monitoring the building for some time, and the recent inspection revealed the full extent of the deterioration of the spire.

Speaking before today's work Duncan Rudge, planning services manager for Malvern Hills District Council, which runs South Worcestershire Building Control, said: “Following the advice of the engineer, the district council and the South Worcestershire Building Control Partnership has acted quickly.

“Once the spire has been removed and some remedial work carried out, the building will be safe again and the road can be reopened.

“We appreciate it will cause inconvenience for members of the public, particularly those living and working nearby, but keeping people safe is our top priority.”