AM 'astonished' by £20m spend on planned M4 relief road

A Labour AM said she is "astonished and appalled" that Welsh ministers are spending nearly £20m this year preparing for a planned M4 relief road around Newport.

Construction is not due to begin until 2018, but "assessment work and public engagement" is costing £19.8m.

Opposition parties and several Labour AMs oppose the £1bn 'black route' and many doubt it will ever be built.

Economy Minister Edwina Hart said the initial spending was "absolutely normal" for a big project and the road was "vital" for the economy.

But Cardiff Central AM Jenny Rathbone told BBC Wales she wants Labour's 2016 assembly election manifesto to pledge to review the plan.