WORK to make a church spire in “danger of collapse” safe will take place today, with residents living nearby advised to leave the area.

A section of road outside the former Emmanuel Evangelical Church with a spire that is in “imminent danger of collapse” was likely to be closed for up to two weeks Worcestershire Highways originally said.

The section of A449 Wells Road outside the former Emmanuel Evangelical Church was closed following an inspection of the church by Malvern Hills District Council.

Malvern Hills District Council says people living near to the former Evangelical Church on Wells Road have been advised to leave the area while the spire is removed using a crane.

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The crane is expected to arrive about 8am. Work to remove the spire should take most of the day.

South Worcestershire Building Control has been monitoring the building for some time. A recent inspection revealed the full extent of the deterioration of the spire. This led to an engineer recommending immediate action was needed.

Duncan Rudge, planning services manager for Malvern Hills District Council which runs South Worcestershire Building Control, said: “Following the advice of the engineer, the district council and the South Worcestershire Building Control Partnership has acted quickly to schedule this work for later in the week.

"Once the spire has been removed and some remedial work carried out, the building will be safe again and the road can be re-opened.

“We appreciate it will cause inconvenience for members of the public, particularly those living and working nearby, but keeping people safe is our top priority.”