Major route to close for work on Bridgnorth cliff face

Work to clad Bridgnorth's High Rock in netting will begin in October after engineers called for safety measures to be completed to prevent rocks falling on the Bridgnorth to Telford Road. Similar work is also going to be carried out on the neighbouring Pendlestone Rock.

The work, on land owned by the Apley Estate, will see the A442 closed between 9.30am until 4.30pm, from October 8.

A single lane closure on the south-bound carriage will continue for a further four weeks with traffic lights in place. The cliff has seen pieces of rocks the size of footballs fall off in the past – but the last time it happened was in 1993.

Apley Estate manager, Graeme Manton, said: "It is vital that we carry out this work to ensure the two rocks will not present any potential hazard.

"The rocks are made of sandstone and our engineering experts have advised using permanent netting to stop any rock falls.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused but we have to make sure these rocks are safe, especially in view of the very wet weather we have experienced this summer."

Special provisions will also be made for High Rock's resident peregrine falcons, which are protected under Wildlife and Countryside Act.

Several pairs of falcons nest on High Rock every other year.

This means work on the cliff face will need to include the construction of special nesting ledges within the netting to ensure the rare birds' breeding patterns are not disturbed.

Peta Marshall, the director of Shrewsbury-based Greenscape Environmental, said: "It's great to be working with Apley Estate on this project to ensure the birds will not be unduly disturbed."