Council 'not told' about new bridge weight limit

A council says it was not given any prior notice about a new weight limit which has been introduced on a major crossing between Wales and England.

Weight restrictions for heavy-goods vehicles will apply on the M48 Severn crossing from next month, in a bid to future-proof the 60-year-old suspension bridge.

But Monmouthshire council's chief executive said the authority was not warned of the rule change, which will see only heavy-goods vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes able to use the route between Chepstow and Aust, Bristol, from 27 May.

Councillors now want to meet the UK's transport secretary to discuss their concerns.

National Highways - which manages major roads in England - said it contacted stakeholders as soon as possible.

Paul Matthews, the chief executive of Monmouthshire County Council, complained on social media that to be notified of the decision, which was "quite a big deal" for the county, "would have been nice".

The new rules mean about 10% of the 32,000 vehicles that cross at Chepstow every day will soon need to use the second Severn crossing, the Prince of Wales bridge, to travel between Wales and England.

National Highways said the weight restriction would need to remain in place for an about 12 to 18 months as it developed and installed a medium-term solution, but added the crossing would remain open to all emergency vehicles, scheduled buses, coaches, gritters and recovery vehicles.

The announcement has caused anger among local representatives, coming shortly after a series of lane closures and restrictions in 2022 and 2023 for an assessment of the main cables which were exposed to harsh winter conditions.

Concerns have also been raised over business struggles and traffic pollution levels resulting from the change.

Armand Watts, who represents the Bulwark and Thornwell area - which is beside the bridge in Chepstow - said the decision had been made without consultation.

"I want to know why National Highways are carrying out a consultation after the decision? That's not consultation, that's a sham to do consultation retrospectively."

The Labour councillor said he was concerned at the impact on businesses, especially those based at the Newhouse Farm Industrial Estate where supermarket Asda has a distribution centre, and the service station on the English side of the bridge at Aust, as well as the longer term economic impact for Monmouthshire.

"Monmouthshire County Council has a plan to create so many jobs but if businesses in Chepstow can't get HGVs on to the bridge what will it mean longer term? Will they look to Magor or over to Avonmouth?"

He also said he was concerned traffic heading north, or travelling south into Wales, would use the A48, adding to congestion and traffic pollution in Chepstow.

"I'm trying to arrange a meeting with Heidi Alexander [UK government transport minister]," he said.

Conservative councillor Lisa Dymock, whose Portskewett ward includes the Severn Bridge Industrial estate which houses about 40 businesses, said she was concerned about increased costs for smaller haulage firms and manufacturers and the possibility of 95-mile detour, up the M50 via Gloucester, for hauliers if an accident closed the M4 bridge.

She said: "This announcement has come at a difficult time when the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge is routinely subject to significant delays due to resurfacing works, which are due to continue until at least August."

Richard John, leader of the Conservative opposition group on Monmouthshire council, called for a "clear timeline" for inspections and repairs and added: "We need to see swift intervention from the UK government to secure the long-term future of the bridge so it can continue to safely accommodate the demands of businesses and residents."

National Highways said local authorities were informed on Thursday, one day before the official announcement, and it had made efforts to contact stakeholders as quickly as possible via email, phone calls and briefings.

Chris Pope, programme delivery manager, added: "Safety is our number one priority, and this weight restriction is about future-proofing the bridge for years to come.

"As with all our structures, we will continue to monitor the bridge and ensure it remains safe for users."