REPAIR work is finally set to begin on a sagging wall at the heart of an eight-and-a-half year wrangle between homeowners and Swansea Council — though it is likely to bring long delays for motorists.

Fears over the safety of a 12ft high section of wall on Brynmill Lane lead to emergency support work and "temporary" traffic lights being installed.

Now, after years of legal rows — and single file traffic on the busy street — the end is in sight.

But the work is going to mean Brynmill Lane being closed for around 22 weeks while repairs are carried out — though the council has put a closure order in place which lasts 18 months.

A spokesman for Swansea Council said: "We expect reconstruction works to commence in the next few weeks and anticipate the work will be completed in the summer.

"The work will require this section of Brynmill Lane to be closed to traffic for the repairs to be completed.

"This will cause some disruption for motorists who use this route. A diversion will be in place and we would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

"On completion of the works, the traffic signals and temporary wall supports will be removed, enabling two way traffic to be restored."

The long-running saga revolved around who was responsible for the 116-year-old wall.

Residents have argued that the wall outside their houses doesn't belong to them so they should not have to pay for the repairs, which are estimated to run to hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The council insisted it had never legally adopted the wall.

The two sides finally reached an agreement last year shortly before the case was due to be heard in the Court of Appeal, though a gagging order prevents details of the settlement — including the overall cost of the repairs and who has to pay — from being made public.

It is not known which side in the dispute requested the order.

The council spokesman said: "We are unable to comment regarding scheme cost and cost apportionment, as they are subject to a confidentiality agreement with the affected residents."

The closure is going to add further congestion to the Sketty area following the introduction of a temporary one-way system on nearby De La Beche Road while gas pipes are repaired.

jason.evans@swwmedia.co.uk