Storm Christoph: Road still closed five months after collapse

A petition says the continued closure is causing "major disruption" to people and businesses

A landslide which forced the closure of a key route south of Wrexham has left people still suffering major disruption five months later, a councillor says.

In January, torrential rain during Storm Christoph caused a footpath to collapse down an embankment on the B5605 between Newbridge and Cefn Mawr.

Wrexham councillor Sonia Benbow-Jones said drivers faced long diversions and some people could not catch buses.

The Welsh government said it was looking at ways to fund the repairs.

Wrexham council had previously applied for funding to cover a repair bill estimated at between £500,000 to £1m.

However, the request was rejected as it did not meet the relevant criteria, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

• Evacuations amid Storm Christoph floods and snow

• Wrexham could face £2m flood repair bill

• Watch: Bridge collapses during Storm Christoph

Ms Benbow-Jones, who represents Cefn, has launched a petition calling on Climate Change Minister Julie James to fix the problem.

It said the continued closure was causing "major disruption" to people and businesses in communities such as Newbridge, Cefn Mawr, Rhosymedre, Ruabon and Chirk.

The storm caused the footpath and embankment to partially collapse

"It's been five months and if people need a bus, they haven't got a bus," Ms Benbow-Jones told the LDRS.

"That makes a big difference - if you want to get to the doctor's, you haven't got a car and you're older, it's a taxi ride now.

"If you're on a fixed income then it's just another stress - and after Covid, people have had enough stress."

Wrexham council said last week that repairing the damage was still a priority, but described the work needed to fix the road as "complex".

A Welsh government spokesperson said a potential source of money was being looked at to repair the road through its Resilient Roads Fund.