THE Welsh Government has found “no simple solution” to the problem of flooding in Llanellen, Wales’ deputy transport minister Lee Waters said in the Senedd last week.

Mr Waters was responding to Monmouth AM Nick Ramsay, who had made renewed calls for improvements to the stretch of the A4042 which passes through the village.

Mr Ramsay suggested improving drainage, raising the road, and even building a Llanellen bypass as possible solutions to the problem of repeated flooding in the village after periods of unusually heavy rainfall.

MORE NEWS:

Newport's Bettws RFC to host fundraising event for Pontllanfraith RFC after break-in upset

Newport metal detectorist who stole Viking hoard of coins and jewellery worth up to £12m jailed

Drug dealer caught with £65k in cocaine and cash after dramatic rush-hour police chase

“The road was closed again during the recent bad weather, causing traffic chaos for commuters,” Mr Ramsay said. “I’m particularly concerned that this route is going to be even more critical when accident and emergency, and other services, transfer from Nevill Hall to the new Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran, when also people from Brecon and Radnorshire and the south of Powys will be dependent on the new hospital.

“This really could become a matter of life and death with increased journey times.”

Mr Waters said the Welsh Government was “acutely aware of the problem and had spent some time investigating potential solutions”.

But the Grade-II listed status of the village’s current bridge, coupled with the nearby flood plain, meant there was “no simple engineering solution that would respect its existing characteristics or do the job within the existing footprint”, the minister said.

“We are doing what we can – working with local landowners to maintain the land, to drain the ditches; and the delays when the road is closed are now becoming significantly lessened,” Mr Waters said. “There have been occasions when the road has been closed for a week, and I believe the most recent closure was for an hour.

“So, we are doing a lot to try and mitigate – we can’t simply solve it.”