M4 relief road spending should stop, Plaid Cymru says

Congestion on the M4 is seen as damaging to the Welsh economy

Spending on preparations for a £1bn M4 relief road around Newport should stop until after the 2016 assembly election, Plaid Cymru has said.

The party urged the Welsh government to improve existing roads instead, claiming it would save £600m.

Transport spokesman Rhun ap Iorwerth said the M4 bottleneck "needs to be solved" but rejected "expensive plans" which would take "years to deliver".

The Welsh government accused Plaid of issuing "blanket statements".

A spokesman for First Minister Carwyn Jones said: "This is totally disingenuous from Plaid Cymru. They have no plan for the M4, no vision for the economy and no appetite to take the tough decisions on infrastructure.

"Our favoured option has strong support from business and will deliver a long-term solution to a long-standing problem. And, as Plaid Cymru well know, progress will also require an environmental impact assessment, and a likely public inquiry."

Last week, a Labour AM who criticised the spending of nearly £20m this year on preparations for the road was sacked as a committee chair by First Minister Carwyn Jones.

Jenny Rathbone had said she was "appalled" by the money being spent on a road she hoped would never be built.

Critics of the Labour Welsh government's preferred 'black route' include some of their own AMs

Before a Plaid Cymru debate about the plans on Wednesday, Mr ap Iorwerth urged ministers to "stop blowing the budget on this unpopular scheme and look towards Plaid Cymru's cheaper, better option".

"Plaid Cymru wants to see these problems solved effectively," he said.

"Our plans to upgrade existing roads will ease the daily congestion and could leave £600m to invest in roads in other parts of Wales."

Plaid's motion was defeated in vote by AMs.