A COLLAPSED wall in Chester has put a bus stop out of action meaning elderly people have to trek a kilometre to the nearest one, it is claimed.

The Standard reported last week that a section of the Victorian wall on Liverpool Road fell down at the end of January leaving rubble on the public path that has been cordoned off ever since.

It is understood there is a disagreement over responsibility between the council and several homeowners on Victoria Court – whose properties back on to the wall.

Resident Gloria Morrison contacted our newsdesk at the weekend to say the situation means a bus stop next to the wall cannot be used.

She said: “Instead of having it repaired barriers were put around it obstructing the bus stop there. As a consequence, buses do not stop because drivers claim that the zigzag markings on the road forbid them from doing so.

“This means that now there is well over a kilometre between the previous bus stop at Waterloo Road and the next one at the now demolished bus depot just before the Fountains roundabout.

“The actual wall collapse is several metres away from the post indicating the bus stop, so the easiest solution would be to place the barriers behind the post and have the bus stop reinstated. The other solution would be to place a temporary bus stop after the said wall or simply instruct the bus companies to tell their drivers that they should stop there.”

She added: “This problem which is causing great inconvenience to a lot of bus passengers, some quite elderly, who find it difficult to walk to and from the previous bus stop.”

Mrs Morrison said she had written to Cheshire West and Chester Council about the issue but had not yet received a response.

When this newspaper contacted the council about the issue last week, it said the pavement must remain cordoned off for public safety.

In a statement, Cllr Karen Shore, cabinet member for environment, said: “Earlier this year a section of a sandstone boundary wall collapsed for a length of approximately three to four metres at the rear of two properties on Victoria Court, Chester. As a result, a section of the public footway forming part of the A5116 Liverpool Road has been temporarily closed in order to protect public safety.

“The safety of the public remains our top priority and the Heras fencing around the affected area must remain in place for the foreseeable future in order to ensure the safety of the public.

“An independent structural engineer is investigating the reasons for the collapse and assessing the structural condition of the whole wall, specifically identifying any other points of weakness. The council’s Highway Service have been in frequent contact with the owners and occupiers of the properties affected by the collapse.”

“The diversionary route is via the pedestrian crossings on Liverpool Road and on the west side of the footway.”