WORK is under way to repair one of Wirral’s most popular leisure areas.

The £750,000 refurbishment of the Marine Lake, at West Kirby, was approved by Wirral Council officials last year.

It followed an engineers’ report which said the lake’s outer wall, a spectacular attraction for thousands of walkers over the past century, was crumbling, and that it was only a matter of time before it became too dangerous to allow visitors to continue walking along it.

There had been concerns that rising sea-levels, increasing stormy weather and the increasing age of the outer wall could accelerate the rate of deterioration.

The popular walk along the outer wall of the lake has become a feature of the promenade in west Wirral since it was built more than a century ago.

However, the location also forms a crucial element of the ambitious multi-million pound “Sail” project for West Kirby, which features a new hotel overlooking the lake, as well as a new sailing school.

The lake is divided between the neighbouring wards of Hoylake and West Kirby, and local councillor Geoffrey Watt said last night he was pleased the work had finally started.

Cllr Watt said: “There have been concerns about it for a few years.

“From an engineering point of view, there were concerns – the lake forms part of the sea defences for West Kirby.”