A MAJOR Ledbury landmark, the spire of the parish church, will be fenced off from visitors on three sides as a public safety measure, because of falling masonry.

And a corroding counterweight inside the spire, to help stabilise it, may also need replacing.

This is under a list of repairs identified by the ecclesiastical steeplejack and the parochial church council (PCC) of St Michael and All Angels.

The total bill is likely to top £50,000, and the PCC may have to launch a fund-raising drive to find the money, although it is also looking to its own funds.

Alan Pratt, the Honorary Secretary of the PCC said there was no excessive moment in the seventeenth century spire, but the masonry was falling on three of the sides because of the effects of the weather.

He said: "It is just old age. The spire is beginning to de-laminate, which means there is stone coming off.

"Pieces of masonry have been tumbling from the spire and urgent repairs are needed at a cost of £40,000 to £50,000."

The tower is separate to the main body of the church, and no stone is falling from the south side, which is better protected from the elements. This means that the church car park, immediately below the tower, is still in use.

Urgent work on the spire is likely to continue for several months.

Mr Pratt, in an official statement from the church, said: "To protect the many visitors, fences will be erected around north, east and west tower faces in early July and remain until the work is completed later in the autumn.

"However, visitors will still be able to visit the church and the bells will still peel out their welcome to all to come and see what goes on in this magnificent building."

It is not the first time in recent years that concerns have been raised about the state of the spire.

In 2012 it was reported that electronic alarms had been installed high in the spire, following concerns that the huge metal counter-weight holding the spire steady was corroding and could need replacing in the future.

This is now likely to happen.

Under a monitoring system inside the spire, a sturdy metal grid would catch the internal iron rod should it fall, preventing it from hitting the ground, and the alarms would give an immediate alert of the counter-weight’s failure.

Speaking at the time, the former rector of Ledbury, the Revd Paul Dunthorne said: “One does not know whether the corrosion on the bar is superficial or more significant.”

The iron bar counter-weight is essential to create a centre of gravity for the spire, to prevent excessive movement in high winds, which could otherwise threaten the structure.