Worried residents air concerns about ongoing closure of road
EIGHTY people packed out a public meeting to air concerns about the ongoing road closure affecting the village of Cwmduad after a landslide last autumn.
Those at the meeting at the village’s community centre, organised by MP Simon Hart, said the closure was affecting their everyday lives.
The A484 between Cynwyl Elfed and Cwmduad has been closed since October 13 after a fatal landslip during Storm Callum.
Phase two of works to stabilise the land started last week with the recovery of a lorry from the river which was swept away by the landslide - which also claimed the life of 21 yearold Corey Sharpling, from Newcastle Emlyn.
While efforts continue to make the area safe for through traffic again, the diversion and inconvenience is taking its toll, said Mr Hart.
He added: “Cwmduad is a tiny village and the turnout (at the meeting) shows just how worried people are about this closure.
“I was able to give an update on what the latest news is and there was a wide-ranging discussion about the problems this is causing and the impact on their day-to-day lives.”
Chief among their questions was how long the closure – which has resulted in a 10-mile detour – will last.
Bus driver Ken Roberts said: “I normally spend £35 a month on petrol and my journey to work in Carmarthen takes 20 minutes but now I’m spending about £80 and it’s taking up to an hour to get home some evenings.”
Others raised concerns about getting patients to hospital for regular dialysis, whether compensation for lost business was going to be available, lack of progress reports from the council and poor diversion signs.
“I had a group trying to visit me from Carmarthen, they spent an hour looking for the way but still could not find us and gave up,” said Terry Smith of Cwmduad.
The meeting was also attended by local county councillor Irfon Jones and residents from nearby villages affected by the detour.
Julian Evans, chairman of Cynwyl Elfed Community Council, said: “The road through Hermon is now like the M4, the pensioners can’t cross the road to get to the shops.”
Many Hermon residents said they were worried about the increase in HGVs travelling through the village and the speed of the traffic.
Mr Hart added: “The wider community has been affected by this closure, not just Cwmduad.
“We have come away from the meeting with a long list of questions, mainly for the county council - but also for other statutory bodies - and we will do our best to get answers for the community.”
Carmarthenshire Council has been updating residents and the media at every step of the work.
Ruth Mullen, Director of Environment, said: “We continue to make good progress with the clearance operation on what is a complex site.
“We are undertaking those works as quickly as possible to ensure the road is safe for the public to use.
“We appreciate the impact this is having for residents and those using the diversion route and apologise for the inconvenience.”