Risky building closes city street

The road was closed after cracks was noticed in the building

A busy street in Swansea city centre is likely to be closed to traffic for at least two days because of the threat of a building collapsing.

Building inspectors became concerned after noticing large cracks in the structure in High Street, between the Argos store and the railway station.

The road is likely to be closed until at least Wednesday to allow work to be carried out to make the building safe.

Traffic and bus services have been diverted around nearby streets.

Vehicles heading northbound are being told to go through College Street, Belle Vue Way and Alexandra Road, while those heading south are being diverted along Alexandra Road, Orchard Street and College Street.

Swansea council said it needed to close the road for work to make the building safe to be carried out, although there will still be pedestrian access to the area.

It said it hoped to partially reopen the road to traffic by Wednesday, depending on how the work went.

A spokesperson for the council said: "We have visited the site along with the property owner and advised on works that need to be carried out to make the structure safe.

"It has been necessary to close a section of High Street while this work is carried out it.

"We hope to partially reopen the road to traffic by Wednesday but this will depend on completion of the temporary works.

"The road closure will naturally cause some disruption for motorists but we hope that they understand the serious risks and the need to act quickly to protect public safety."