THE damaged 'Great Wall' of Lydbrook, which was built in the 1920s to contain the remains of a massive slag heap and form the football ground, is now causing further concern as parents and children accessing Lydbrook Primary School are discovering problems as they negotiate the closed pavement below the wall. The wall remains coned off as the damage is assessed since two large cracks appeared some months ago.

One parent told us: 'We are not encouraged to park near the school, due to the narrow roads, lack of space, and keeping children safe.

"Therefore parents who need to come down to the school have been encouraged to park in the Lydbrook football field car park. But some months ago (possibly following the floods) the retaining wall that supports the football field and faces the Jovial Colliers pub and Lydbrook Garage has developed two very large cracks.

"As a parent we either have to cross the football field – that gets very boggy – and go down some very steep steps, (my youngest has already fallen on these steps) or cross Church Road opposite the car park entrance, then again at the Garage, and walk up to school that way. The school do have Jane, the lollipop lady, but she now can only provide safe crossing to folks headed in the direction of the surgery."

The parent also recounted to us the dangers that the footpath closure have brought: "On Friday last week my six year old daughter got confused about which way we were walking and ran straight into the road in front of traffic. Thankfully she was OK, as the bus was able to stop."

"I am very concerned, though, that someone else's child may get injured. For families coming from the car park there isn't any safe place to cross, and it is very worrying."

The maintenance and upkeep of the wall are the remit of the charity that also runs Lydbrook Memorial Hall and the football ground.

As the Review went to press, a spokesman for the Lydbrook Memorial Hall said: "We have been working closely with engineers, and the work to repair the great wall will start in a few weeks time. The height of the wall is to be reduced, so it won't be quite a great as it was. The bank above the new wall will be angled and attractively planted. There will be a need for three way traffic lights as the wall is taken down and repaired, but we hope people understand that this is essential work"

He also appealed to parents for their own and their children's safety not to walk past the coned off area of the pavement until the works are completed.