Welsh street cut off for five years after council fails to repair bridge

Residents living on a Welsh street have been told they will be cut off for five years after the council failed to repair the local bridge.

Homeowners in Forge Mews in Bassaleg were left trapped and could only leave on foot after Newport City Council shut the only connecting bridge to traffic in 2021.

The council decided to shut the bridge after it sustained “significant” damage.

Engineers have now warned it could take three more years to build a new £9million structure over the Ebbw River.

Jane Mudd, who leads Newport’s Labour-run council, said the condition of the bridge made hopes of fixing it “impossible”.

She told a council meeting earlier this year: “This is not an easy or a quick task.”

The bridge was initially closed in August 2021 due to concerns it would collapse under its own weight.

An alternative pedestrian route was created to allow residents to move around the cul-de-sac.

Up to £200,000 was spent trying to work out how to reopen the bridge.

Despite consultant engineers reviewing tens of thousands of pounds, no solution was found.

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Tony Brookes, who lives on the street, said: “Nothing has happened.

“We were told that no work could commence during the rainbow trout spawning season.

“That was two years ago. Nothing’s happened since.

“There are rats in the area by the bins, and foxes going through our bin bags.

“We don’t know what to do. Our car insurance has gone up, as we can’t park on our driveways.

“We’ve never had an apology despite the myriad of problems.”

Another resident, who has lived on the street for more than two decades, claimed she lost her belongings in a blaze as firefighters used bolt cutters to gain access to the road.

Newport City Council was told it is “not viable” to repair the existing bridge and instead hopes to build a new structure.

Cllr Mudd told an October council meeting that she “fully appreciated the disruption” caused to residents over the past two years.

A plan for a new bridge has been endorsed by the council’s cabinet but an initial £40,000 assessment is needed before the operation is carried out.

An assessment could take as long as three months.