Shropshire Star

Vandals attack Ludlow's historic town wall

Vandals have ripped down safety barriers used to support Ludlow's historic town wall which collapsed 18 months ago.

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Damage to the town wall has also threatened the stability of a graveyard, behind St Laurence's Church.

Sandbags and sheeting were thrown down from the churchyard into the Compasses area, exposing sections of the graveyard. Safety fences in the church's Garden of Rest were also damaged, with some sections pulled on to the ground.

Shropshire Council said the area had since been made safe by engineers.

Andy Boddington, Shropshire councillor for Ludlow North, blamed the county council for the situation with the wall. He accused it of dragging its heel.

Ludlow Town Council also recently pointed the finger at Shropshire Council in an official letter, stating the repairs – which could end up costing £1 million – were a matter for the county-wide authority.

In a letter to Shropshire Council's legal services department, town clerk Gina Wilding, stated that responsibility for maintaining the walls transferred to Shropshire Council in 2012.

Councillor Boddington said: "This is the last thing we need.There has been some minor vandalism to the fencing during the last few months but it looks like there was a determined assault on it the last few days.

"The sheeting that covers parts of the collapsed wall and the sandbags that support it have been thrown down into the courtyard of the Compasses.What worries me most is that the exposed section of the churchyard is rocky rubble that looks in imminent danger of collapse as the weather worsens.

"The collapses might not be big at first but water has a unique way of undermining structures. If we don't take urgent action we could lose substantial sections of the churchyard, undermining the trees."

The section of the medieval town walls collapsed behind St Laurence's Church in a residential street at Upper Linney on February 18 last year, destroying a parked car.

Councillor Bobbington said Shropshire Council inspected the collapsed wall regularly but warned the work would not stop the graveyard and further sections of the wall collapsing in the future. "I asked it to inspect the wall urgently today," he said.

"Unfortunately, the council spends most of its time engaged in a blame game, saying that it is not responsible for the walls and trying to pass the financial buck to the town council.

Shropshire Council must take urgent action on this."

Chris Edwards, Shropshire Council area commissioner south, said: "

As soon as we became aware, engineers were instructed to repair the fence and make the area secure."

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