REPAIRS to a historical wall in Winchester have been postponed for the “foreseeable future” as more tests are needed.

Work at North Walls was planned to start this week, with Hampshire Highways preparing to close one lane along the road for nine days.

It would have caused delays in the city centre as North Walls is one of the city's main roads.

A spokesperson for Hampshire County Council said: “The works on North Walls, Winchester, have been postponed for the foreseeable future due to ongoing discussions between the contractor and Historic England about further tests that are required before works can begin.”

North Walls marks the northern line of the city's defences originally built in Roman times and upgraded in the Middle Ages.

Once new dates have been provided for the closure of North Walls, by its junction with Jewry Street and City Road, Hampshire Highways will update its Twitter page.