Urgent work will begin today to prevent a quay wall from collapsing into the River Clyde.

In August 2014, the city council closed the riverside walkway at the Waterfront development, which is made up of Riverview Gardens, Riverview Place and Riverview Drive, after engineers discovered part of Windmillcroft Quay was crumbling.

Worried residents of the neighbouring homes feared their properties would fall into the river with disastrous loss of life.

The £130,000 interim repair work, which will cost the 278 homeowners around £470 each, is expected to take around a month to complete.

It will involve re-grading and lowering the ground beside Riverside Gardens to relieve the pressure on the most vulnerable section of the quay wall and will include dismantling the section of the wall at danger of collapse.

Experts say a long-term solution to the problem could cost as much as £5million but could rise significantly if interim repairs are not carried out and the wall falls into the river.

Speirs Gumley, factors for the Waterfront development, has been working closely with the homeowners, the Scottish Government, the city council, local MSP and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Taylor Wimpey who acquired Laing Homes which built the development and John Laing Group, the parent company of the former Laing Homes to reach agreement on funding the long-term repairs.

Speirs Gumley director Tom McKie said: “We know what a worrying time this has been for the owners of the Waterfront development, particularly those whose homes are closest to the worst affected section of Windmillcroft Quay.

“We have been working tirelessly on their behalf for the past two years in an attempt to reach an agreement to allow remedial work to start.

“We understand their concerns and the real threat they face from the possibility of a collapse of the quay wall and indeed the financial burden they have had to bear.

“The repair work getting underway is a very important step forward for everyone involved and we hope to reach agreement on the long-term solution to this issue as soon as possible.”

Ms Sturgeon said the issue was “extremely important” to her as it affects hundreds of home owners and had resulted in a core path being closed for almost two years.

She added: “It is encouraging to see this preventative repair being carried out and I look forward to finding a long term resolution to this issue.”

Joe Hughes, chairman of the Waterfront Residents’ Association said: “All the homeowners at the Waterfront are relieved these essential repairs are going ahead.

“Our managing agents Speirs Gumley have worked round the clock on behalf of the owners and have been instrumental in tackling this issue and working with all the relevant parties.

“We will be delighted if our combined effort results in additional funding being made available to carry out a long-term repair and guarantee the future of the quay wall.”

A city council spokesman said officials were working with owners through their agents to try and help them find a solution to the quay wall problem both in the immediate and longer term.