Telford & Wrekin Council is to add £100,000 to its Telford Strategy European Regional Development Fund package to pay for intrusive ground investigations around the famous Iron Bridge.

The bridge is showing considerable evidence of distortion, thanks to ground movement, and the investigations will determine conditions at either end of the 1781 structure.

Instruments will be installed to determine the nature, depth and speed of the movements so remedial works can be prepared.

Major works in the 1970s included a reinforced concrete invert in the river bed, but movement continues at the centrepiece of the world heritage site.