by Graham Tutthill

Work has started on a £250,000 restoration project to conserve part of the the historic brickwork at Dover Castle.

English Heritage is carrying out the work to the defences at the northern tip of Dover Castle, known as the Spur.

Head of visitor operations at Dover Castle Steve Lang said: "We are stabilising areas where movement has occurred in the maze of brick-built passages known as caponiers. We are also carrying out repairs to the roofs, the eaves detail and re-pointing the brickwork.

"As a result, visitors may see some scaffolding in the ditches but the medieval tunnels will remain fully open and visible.

"This conservation work is necessary to halt collapse of some of the unstable brickwork and to ensure that this unique part of Dover Castle remains in good order and can be enjoyed and studied by generations of visitors to come."

Scaffolding will first be erected on the west caponier and will be gradually built up to include the main and then east caponier. The work is expected to take 13 weeks.