Probe into response to A55 flood
A REVIEW to examine if flooding on the A55 could have been handled better is to be carried out by the Welsh Government.
Communities were left devastated by the flood waters as North Wales experienced the wettest December since records began.
Homes were evacuated, villages were swamped and cars abandoned on the A55 as large parts of the dual carriage- way became submerged on Boxing Day.
Now the Welsh Government has said it will carry out a review to see if highways officials could do more to keep North Wales moving in bad weather.
The Wales-wide review will look at what improvements can be made to help trunk road agencies deal with “flood risks”. Public Services Minister Carl Sargeant made the commitment as he responded to a debate which highlighted the full impact of the recent weather.
Mr Sargeant said: “The Minister for Transport (Edwina Hart) has asked for officials to undertake a review of the motorway and trunk road networks across Wales. This will help us develop a prioritised programme of improvements to manage flood risks on our roads.”
He also said the government is willing to explore providing rate relief to flooddamaged businesses, as called for by AMs.
He said 15 councils had so far bid for a £3.3m fund for emergency repairs, which would be announced later this month.
Tory AM Janet Haworth called for AMs to unite in action to prevent future floods. Ms Haworth, who led the debate, said confusion and “a blame game” over who was responsible was not helping. She said: “Competing theories of what to do is not helping residents in flood risk areas to sleep at night. While we sit in this chamber warm and dry people out there are dreading the next bad weather forecast.”
A motion calling for immediate action to support flood-hit communities was passed by AMs – 40 for and 13 against.