Part of one of Judaism's holiest sites, Jerusalem's Western Wall, has started crumbling and needs to be fixed to protect worshippers who bow in prayer before the massive ancient stones.

Each year, some six million people visit what is also known as the Wailing Wall, revered by Jews as the remnant of their Second Temple and Israel's biggest tourist attraction.

The rabbi responsible for the maintenance on the structure has warned that a section repaired more than a century ago is again at risk of falling.

Since the weakened stonework is high on the 60ft wall, the danger from any falling fragment to the crowds who pray at its foot each day is particularly acute.

Israel's Antiquities Authority has said there is no immediate risk to visitors, since the heavy winter rains have passed.

However, the repair work is to begin almost immediately.

Israel has recently hosted record numbers of tourists for the Passover holiday and is preparing for high-profile visitors for the 60th anniversary of its founding.