Road reopened, but residents still await 'proper fix'

RESIDENTS living in a rural Welsh community say they are still waiting for the ‘proper fix’ they were promised, following a devastating landslip that left two villages ‘cut off’ for several months.

- LOIS MCCARTHY

While the road between Cwmyoy and Llanthony has been reopened for more than a month, locals continue to grapple with the aftermath of the landslip. The collapse, which happened on January 30 when a riverbank gave way beneath the carriageway, left hundreds of residents with just one way in and out of the valley for months.

The closure forced lengthy diversions over the Gospel Pass, the highest road in Wales open to traffic, disrupting businesses, farming, school transport and access to emergency services.

During the closure, residents accused Monmouthshire council of poor communication and leaving the community feeling isolated.

Michelle Turner, who lives in Llanthony, said at the time: ‘As a community, we feel profoundly let down. We all pay council tax yet we have effectively been cut off with little warning, inadequate communication and no clear or safe plan to protect residents’ welfare.’