WORK to repair a stone wall in Malvern Wells is likely to go on for at least another month.

Damage to the wall, on Wells Road south of its junction with Hanley Terrace, was first noticed late in 2001.

Test boreholes were drilled in March 2002 to find out what conditions were like underground, but work could not begin until March 3 this year.

The repair project is a collaboration between Worcestershire County Council, Halcrow and Poolbrook-based contractors M Walsh and Co.

About 30 meters of wall are affected and the cost of repairs will be about £250,000.

"Many of the retaining walls in Malvern are not true structural retainers but are weatherproof coverings to an underlying natural rockface," said Dave Evans, of the county council.

"However, the wall at Hanley Terrace does retain loose fill and so is a true structural wall.

"Because the wall is between two roads, which both have to be kept open all the time, this causes difficulty for the designer and the contractor."

The Wells Road has been restricted to single-lane working with traffic lights while the repairs go on and traffic on Hanley Terrace is being kept away from the edge.

The work started with the erection of temporary steel buttresses to support the failing wall.

Now about 100 concrete piles are being put in, reaching down 2.5 metres below Wells Road into the bedrock.

The piles will not be visible once the front of the wall has been reconstructed.

"It's not generally known but retaining walls are the most expensive structures that exist along the public highways," said Mr Evans. "The ownership of these walls varies and may be public or private, depending on past agreements and the position of the wall relative to the highway."