A SPECIAL meeting will take place in Ludlow this Thursday night  to discuss the growing crisis with the town walls.

There will be a full update on the condition of the walls in an attempt to put to rest growing fears.

Rosanna Taylor-Smith who represents Ludlow on Shropshire Council has been visiting people living in her ward in a bid to allay concerns about the safety of their homes.

An initial collapse of a section of the wall 10 days ago was followed a few days later by a second slip and experts removed a further section as a precautionary measure.

Colin Richards, Shropshire Council’s expert on historic building will be at the meeting to answer questions.

Martin Taylor-Smith, who also sits for Ludlow on Shropshire Council, where he is a member of the governing cabinet, has said that there is no danger.

“Our priority has been to safeguard people and property,” said Martin Taylor-Smith who admitted that some garages had had to be demolished.

“A lot of alarming things are being said some of which is not well informed and unhelpful. We want to set the record straight and allow people to ask questions.”

The cause of the recent collapse has been attributed to a combination of heavy rainfall and frost.

But it has led to concerns about the condition of the entire wall that dates back to 1233.

Shropshire Council has recently completed repairs to a section adjacent to the Castle Street car park.

The cost of putting right the initial fall last week was put at £250,000 and that was before the second collapse.

A bid for funds from English Heritage will be made later this year but this follows an unsuccessful application made in 2012.

Shropshire Council holds unallocated reserves of just £4 million.

The town walls are a listed ancient monument and repairs need to be approved by English Heritage and will involve using special materials including a medieval lime mix.

Ludlow MP Philip Dunne said that he was relieved that no one had been hurt.

“The Ludlow Town Walls Trust was established to protect Ludlow’s very historic walls surrounding the town,”

He said.

“It works with property owners who have responsibility for sections of the wall in monitoring the conditions of wall and secures help for repair.”

The meeting is at the Ludlow Conference Centre at 7pm.