Work on a historic church wall which was damaged by a reversing lorry more than 18 months ago will be done 'as soon as possible' after a series of delays, a council has said.

The wall at St Peter's Church, on the corner of King Street and White Hart Street in Thetford, was damaged on November 12, 2013, after a lorry delivering to Savers reversed into it.

Wooden fencing was subsequently erected to protect the area, which meant the closure of a footpath. The closure has seen pedestrians often walking in the road to reach the town centre - a situation made worse by recent roadworks in Bridge Street.

Thetford Town Council, which owns the wall, said repair work had been delayed due to issues caused by third party insurers.

A statement said: 'Thetford Town Council has had to organise the wall's repair, and what initially looked to be a simple repair turned out to be a lengthy and time consuming process involving structural engineers, traffic management companies, Ministry of Justice, Listed Buildings Officer and flint wall specialists, all of which were placed into the hands of a chartered surveyor who is project managing the repair.

'The council is aware that the safety fencing necessarily erected around the damaged wall has meant the loss of a path causing inconvenience to the Public.

'This fencing has remained longer than hoped due to delays caused by the third party insurers.

'The Town Council have and will continue to vigorously hasten all involved to ensure the repair is made as soon as possible and the path is reopened to the public.'

What do you think of the delays? Has it affected your business? Email andrew.fitchett@archant.co.uk