Apology for 'frustration' of 10-month road closure

Paul Herbert complained to Shropshire Council of "apparent incompetence"

Shropshire Council has apologised to residents of a village that has been split in two by a bridge closure since late last year.

The bridge in Bronygarth, near Oswestry, was damaged by flooding in November, but the council has said it still needs to finalise repair plans.

Resident Paul Herbert has complained to the council, accusing its highways department of "apparent incompetence" in dealing with the repair.

In a statement, the council said it "understands the frustration being experienced by the local community, and apologises for the inconvenience caused by the delay in repair works necessary to reopen the road".

Damage to the bridge linking the two halves of the village has led to a six-mile (10km) diversion since the storm damage 10 months ago.

The local authority said negotiations were taking place with the Woodland Trust to ensure repairs protected ancient woodland, and that it complied with environmental and legislative requirements.

In his complaint to the council, Mr Herbert suggested the highways department had "created unnecessary bureaucracy" and communicated poorly about its plans.

He also claimed that a demountable building set up to progress the works had been removed in the past few days, suggesting repairs were not close.

He continued: "This is a simple job, in essence, but it seems beyond the team charged with resolving it."

Villagers face a six-mile diversion to cross a tributary of the River Ceiriog

In its own reply to Mr Herbert's communications, the Woodland Trust said it had supplied the council with "all the documentation they need to take this forward".

"We're awaiting the return of a signed licence to enter Pentre Wood from the council. This was issued to the council over two months ago. Our land agent has reached out repeatedly during this time to prompt its return.

"The licence is critical to progressing with the agreed arrangements on site and we are disappointed to see that it has yet to be prioritised to avoid further disruption to local residents."

The council said: "It is hoped these negotiations will be concluded soon and the repairs started shortly."