Town council facing a £500,000 shortfall after Bridgnorth Cliff Railway repairs

On the plus side however, residents were also told that the Cliff Railway could be "free to open" later this month.

More than 100 people crammed into Castle Hall in the town's West Castle Street to hear the update on the works that left the funicular railway crippled last December.

Bridgnorth Cliff Railway was closed on health and safety grounds following the discovery of a damaged retaining wall. The closure of the attraction, which saw 14 staff made redundant, has affected businesses in the town.

Bridgnorth mayor Rachel Connolly told the packed meeting that the cost to fix the wall was "likely to be higher that the current annual revenue from council tax".

Town council clerk, Clare Turner, said that the project had originally involved just 7.5 metres of damaged wall but council contractors ended up fixing 65 metres after further damage was uncovered.

"It was an emergency situation. It could have collapsed at any time," she said. "However, I am pleased to tell you, currently, and weather permitting, that the current estimate for the remedial works to be finished is November 10, with all the scaffolding will be removed by the week commencing November 13."

She said that while there is still a further section of 25 metres of wall left to fix, but that it did not belong to Bridgnorth Town Council, who are currently trying to ascertain who owns it, and that the operator of the Cliff Railway will be "free to open if they so wished" once scaffolding is removed later this month.

She continued that Bridgnorth Town Council was now looking at ways to plug the huge shortfall left by the repairs, including applying for a Public Works Board from the Government, or re-claiming some of the money back from the operator of the cliff railway.