CONCERN is growing over a stretch of collapsed riverbank on the Severn which remains down four months on - with no resolution expected until next spring.

A wall holding up the bank by the Diglis House Hotel in Worcester collapsed after a storm on June 24 and legal experts are still to establish the owner.

Now Andy Walford, Worcestershire highways partnerships manager for Worcester, said consultants had been appointed to discover why it collapsed.

The consultation exercise is expected to cost between £5,000 and £10,000 and experts have been on site taking photographs. However, their findings are not expected until February, 2006.

Meanwhile, the consultants are due to recommend make-safe measures with an initial assessment expected from them before Christmas.

Mr Walford added: "The wall is in no danger of further collapse at the moment because there is another wall at the back of it.

"However, the consultants will look at ways in which we can make it safe over the winter period."

But Mark Holtham, of Diglis Avenue, near the collapsed wall, accused the highways partnerships of wasting tax-payers' money on what he claimed was a pointless consultation. He claims the wall has collapsed as a result of the Diglis redevelopment.

He added: "It's blindingly obvious why the wall collapsed - you don't have to be an expert to realise that.

"All of this development is going up but the infrastructure isn't capable of taking it and this is all to do with it."

However, Diglis Hotel manager Colin Tutin blamed the problem on storm drains not coping with the water.

He said: "I'm concerned it's going to get worse and if we're going to flood, which we can do at any time, what will happen to the rest of the bank?"

Pat Lewis, of Diglis Avenue, said she was worried the problem would get worse if it was not addressed sooner.

She added: "It all depends on the weather but if they have a lot of rain in Wales it'll all come down here and make the problem worse."

Meanwhile, legal experts are still trying to establish the owner of the wall.

Temporary works are set to be carried out by the highways partnership but Mr Walford said that they would hope to eventually recoup the costs from the owners - once they had been identified.