Accident fears as tourists gridlock historic village

A HISTORIC Welsh village is being gridlocked by traffic heading to one of Britain's most scenic waterfalls.

- ANDREW FORGRAVE

During Easter weekend, Abergwyngregyn descended into chaos as bumper-to-bumper queues tailed back more than half a mile on to the A55.

The village, once home to the last native prince of Wales, has become mired in traffic since the pandemic lockdowns.

The rising popularity of Aber Falls, a majestic waterfall much loved online, has seen problems escalate ever since.

Fed-up residents say they now dread sunny days. They says they will often leave the village early or resign themselves to a day trapped in their homes. With support, the community is willing to self-fund solutions, such as matrix signs and extra parking.

Locals say they don’t want to stop visitors, just manage the problems in a village that lies just 70m from the A55.

Aber resident Rachel Mackereth said gridlocks were happening more frequently and getting worse. “We're experiencing intolerable traffic congestion, which is seriously affecting life in the village,” she said.

“The situation not only has a negative impact on residents, but also the visitors. Understandably, people trapped in the congestion get frustrated and this boils over at times. It creates a dangerous mix of cars and pedestrians with emergency vehicles unable to get through.”

Matters came to a head on Easter Sunday, when parking was at a premium as visiting vehicles choked a narrow road that winds through the village up to Aber National Nature Reserve.