Call for ‘urgent action’ over Newbridge landslip as Welsh Government waits for business case from council

Sam Rowlands, MS for North Wales, is demanding “urgent action” to repair a road which has been closed following Storm Christoph earlier this year.

The B5605 between Newbridge and Cefn Mawr was severely damaged during Storm Christoph in January, when torrential downpours caused part of it to collapse down an embankment. Further cracks have appeared in the road, with residents currently forced to take lengthy diversions to get to work or school.

As we have previously reported Wrexham Council previously applied for funding from the Welsh Government to fix the damage to the area and secure the footpath and road, however the request was knocked back as it did not meet the relevant criteria. A geotechnical report is now awaited by Wrexham Council who say once that has been assessed they will ‘request adequate funding from Welsh Government’.

Mr Rowlands MS and local MP Simon Baynes recently visited the landslip site on Newbridge Road, Mr Rowlands said: “It is now over 10 months since Storm Christoph caused excessive flooding in many parts of North Wales and residents living in the Newbridge area are quite rightly angry that the B5605, which is a vital link road, has still not been repaired.

“The diversions mean some people are having to drive miles out of their way just to get to their homes. It is simply not good enough.

“My fellow North Wales Conservative MS, Mark Isherwood and I have raised this matter with the Welsh Government and demanded action. I understand repair works will cost around £1 million but a grant application from Wrexham County Borough Council, to fund the work has been rejected.

“It is unacceptable that a failure to such a critical piece of local infrastructure is being left to a council to address.”

Mr Rowlands MS and Mr Baynes MP met with resident, Tony Partridge and saw at first-hand the problem with the landslip.  Mr Partridge, who has been campaigning for work to be carried out to repair the road said he was disappointed and annoyed at the time it was taking to repair the road.

Mr Baynes said: “In the event of closures on the trunk road, whether for planned works or emergencies, alternative routes are diverted via Llangollen – a fifteen-mile diversion – and this is clearly not sustainable – particularly when emergency vehicles are taken into account.

“We’re calling on Welsh Government Ministers to step up and take action on an issue that is seriously affecting residents in our part of Wales. I’m concerned that Ministers in Cardiff Bay are turning a blind eye to the damage to our communities in Clwyd South caused by flooding.

“I’m willing to work with Welsh Government to ensure Wrexham Council receives the funding support they need to repair our damaged infrastructure.”

On Tuesday we put the topic to First Minister Mark Drakeford during his visit to Wrexham, and got the Welsh Government’s response as, “We will consider the business case for this project once it has been received from Wrexham Council and will update in due course.”

Top pic: Sam Rowlands MS for North Wales, resident, Tony Partridge, and Simon Baynes MP for Clwyd South, at the road closure.