VILLAGERS continue to be delayed by a one-way traffic system introduced while specialist stonemasons rebuild a 250-year-old pub wall.

Scaffolding went up at the historic Whalley Arms, Whalley, after a bulge was spotted near a window in the pub's gable end.

Parts of the six-inch thick wall are now being dismantled, brick by brick, in a painstaking 10-week repair operation because of its listed building status. Building inspectors called in by pub owners Birmingham-based Enterprise Inns deemed the wall unsafe, and the rebuild started immediately.

A spokesman for Enterprise Inns said: "The construction work taking place at the Whalley Arms follows an order from the local authority building inspector, who last month deemed the gable end of the property unsafe.

"We acquired the property in 2000 and acted upon the inspector's findings immediately.

"We apologise for any inconvenience to customers of the Whalley Arms or road users."

Landlady Vicky Entwistle said the pub's internal wall had not been affected, and it was business as usual at the popular hostelry.

"We've not been cooking since the work started, but we're launching a new food menu shortly.

"The internal wall is cordoned off for safety reasons, but other than that it's business as usual," she said.

Whalley councillor Joyce Holgate added: "There have been one or two complaints from residents that the road closure has caused a nuisance, but the work seems to be progressing speedily."

One side of Accrington Road will be closed to traffic until the refurbishment work is completed at the end of October.