STARTING work on the M4 relief road as soon as possible is vital to prevent damage to businesses in Gwent and throughout south Wales, Welsh secretary Alun Cairns has said.

The Conservative MP visited Magor Brewery today to begin the mash process on the 2,000th batch of beer to be brewed at the site.

The brewery is owned by AB InBev UK and makes beers including Stella Artois, Budweiser and Becks.

Mr Cairns also met staff at the brewery, some of whom travel from as far afield as Swansea, Gloucester and Chippenham every day, and heard concerns around the impact delays on the M4 can have on the business.

“Businesses which operate in and around Newport need to have efficient deliveries, staff need to arrive on time and products need to be dispatched efficiently," he said.

“If just one of these falls down, let along all three, the whole company is impacted.”

He added he was concerned about the impact on the reputation of south Wales as a place to invest of the well-known traffic problems on the M4.

“We will never know what investment we have lost because of the reputation of delays, as well as actual delays.”

The Vale of Glamorgan MP, who is travelling to France this weekend to cheer on Wales in their inaugural clash with Slovakia in the Euro 2016 competition, said it was particularly vital the brewery was able to operate as well as possible during major events such as sport tournaments.

“Magor Brewery is a great Welsh success story,” he said. “Companies like AB InBev are helping to keep the Welsh economy fizzing – just like their beer.”

The 65-hectare Magor Brewery opened in 1979 and today employs 336 people.