EXPERTS have said Ledbury’s damaged war memorial is not in danger of falling down.

A structural survey revealed the sub-surface base stones are standing firm.

But work will still need to be carried out to deal with water erosion at the plinth’s first level, a problem which gives the wrong impression that the monument is sinking into the pavement.

Speaking at a recent meeting of Ledbury town council, Cllr Jane Hopkins, chairman of the town’s environment and leisure committee said: “The base is absolutely solid, bar the erosion at the first level of the plinth.”

The proposal is to put a 20mm wide slot around the base of the war memorial, which would serve as a trough feeding an existing storm drain.

Cllr Hopkins added: “We are on track; and we won’t have any problems accessing that storm drain.”

But she did express some concern that the proposed trough around the memorial “could be too visible”.

However, this will not be the only change. The cobblestones around the memorial, in Ledbury High Street, are thought to be making the drainage situation worse, and the idea is to remove the cobbles and replace them with flagstones, allowing better run-off.

The lifted cobblestones might then be used to fill holes in cobbled Church Lane.

News of the survey by a structural engineer, and the likely solutions, were welcomed by Cllr Nina Shields, chairman of Ledbury Town Council.

She said: “It’s good to see this progress at last. It’s terrific.”

The council will now be going out to tender and will seek three bids to choose from, to decide which business is to carry out the repairs.

Cllr Shields has been critical in recent times of the slow progress made in getting the war memorial mended, and Ledbury residents have expressed disappointment that the work was not done and dusted by the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, last November.

Ledbury Town Councillors had been discussing ways to mend the memorial for at least the past six years.

The aim now is to have the work completed by the centenary of the war memorial being installed, in December 2020.