MONSTER MAYHEM
Motorists causing chaos as they stop to look at dragon sculpture
AGIANT dragon carved from a fallen tree has been causing traffic chaos on a Welsh road as motorists slow down to catch a glimpse of the sculpture.
The dragon, named Y Draig Dderw, Welsh for The Oak Dragon, looms out of the trees and foliage on the A5 near Tregarth, Gwynedd, rearing its 12ft wingspan and baring rows of sharp wooden teeth.
“There has already been one accident and numerous near misses on this section of road which really does require a driver’s full concentration,” said North Wales Police in a statement posted to their Bangor and Bethesda Facebook page, urging drivers to find somewhere safe to park to view the sculpture.
The 25ft beast is the work of sculptor Simon O’Rourke, who spent nearly a week wielding a chainsaw to carve the dragon from a fallen oak branch at the request of the property owners.
Videos of the “Dragon of Bethesda”, which he called it before its official naming, have been viewed thousands of times on his Facebook page. Some online commentators compared it to the dragons of Skyrim, the award-winning fantasy computer game made by a developer coincidentally called Bethesda.
“It’s bigger and in a more public way than some of the other things,” said the 40-year-old, who lives in Wrexham.
“The tree effectively fell in such a way that it was sticking out over the outcrop. I think it’s one of those things where, with the positioning of it, there’s no way it could have been moved as it’s too heavy and too big.”
The property owner, who did not respond to requests for comment, commissioned Mr O’Rourke to carve the huge branch into a dragon which was completed in mid-January. Since then it has been causing quite a stir on the narrow country roads.
Asked about how much of a distraction to motorists the dragon was causing, Mr O’Rourke said: “You drive through somewhere like Birmingham and you’ve got huge screens and billboards that are actually trying to distract you and catch your attention.
“A wooden dragon is less intrusive than those screens, but I think it’s just the case that it doesn’t matter what happens; when you’re in control of the car, you should be paying attention to the road.”
North Wales Police said in a statement on their Facebook page: “We, like everyone else love the Draig Dderw, however we are concerned at the impact upon road safety.
“There has already been one accident and numerous near misses on this section of road which really does require a driver’s full concentration.
“Please concentrate on the road ahead at all times, if you want to view it, please find somewhere safe to park (not on the A5) and walk down on the pavement. Please drive carefully.”