Further work is to start in the new year to pave the way for the extension of a multi-million pound project launched to prevent landslips in the Ironbridge Gorge area.Trees and shrubs will be cleared from the Lloyds area of the World Heritage Site in January and February, allowing engineers to prepare the land before old mine cavities are filled using a grout to stabilise them.

Phase two of the sche- me was kickstarted this month with the approval by Telford & Wrekin councillors of a further £1.5 million investment.

The council is confident it will receive further funding through Advantage West Midlands and the Government Office West Midlands.

The work aims to protect the visitor attraction from landslips, which could permanently damage the area.

This new investment will fund the Lloyds phase two and Lloyds Head projects, which will help to stabilise the Gorge’s slopes, limit river bank erosion and infill old mine workings.

It will build on the £5 million phase one, which was completed last autumn.

The council spent £3 million on this and secured £2 million in EU funding. The phase one work stabilised a key link road at the Lloyds.

The council has also invested a further £50,000 to build a temporary road at Lloyds Head after land mov- ement forced the closure of a road there this year. From April to October the bulk of the work will go involve reinforcing the river banks.

The phase two work will cover the same distance as phase one, but will extend the life of the previous work, ensuring this project will have a 100-year life compared to the 30-year life of the current phase.

The council will also lobby to secure the further £80 million needed to help protect other parts of the gorge.

Council leader Andrew Eade said the work underlined “the importance we are putting in investing in the borough’s historic towns”.