Severn Bridge weight limit compared to steelworks closure

South Wales Argus

18 hours ago

The giant steelworks were saved from closure when the UK government used emergency legislation to take them over in April amid fears they would be imminently shut down with the loss of up to 2,700 jobs.
Monmouthshire County Council has said it has been using the comparison in lobbying for the lifting of the closure of the M48 crossing, between Chepstow and Aust, to vehicles over 7.5 tonnes.
Councillor Catrin Maby said the council fears the weight restriction is placing jobs in the Chepstow area at risk including at the Newhouse Farm industrial estate, at the foot of the bridge, that employs nearly the same number of people at the steel plant in Linconshire.
The Labour councillor said: 'We have emphasised the impact and job losses that may occur with over 2,500 jobs at risk at Newhouse alone that is equivalent to the potential job losses at Scunthorpe steelworks.
'We have made that point and it is really shocking.
'Every delay allows leases to end and relocations to take place to elsewhere in Europe so we are extremely concerned.'
Cllr Maby, whose council cabinet role includes responsibility for highways, said she and Monmouthshire MP Catherine Fookes had met with the UK government's minister for future roads, Lilian Greenwood and 'emphasised the impact on the local economy and in particular the potential job losses at Newhouse.'
She said claimed the council's lobbying efforts have had an impact as the minister, in a letter to Ms Fookes, had said the concerns have been 'taken on board'.
Cllr Maby said: 'They aim to find a solution to enable normal traffic movements to return in late 2026 which does show our lobbying has had an impact as that has brought forward what they originally intended.'
She reminded councillors a longer term solution to strengthen the bridge would be 'expensive'.
National Highways, the UK government agency responsible for the Severn bridges, had said when it announced the weight restriction in April it would likely be in place for 12 to 18 months as it works on developing a plan to help manage in real-time the number of vehicles over 7.5 tonne using the bridge to 'ensure vehicle loads remain within safe limits'.
Cllr Maby, who was responding to a question from Conservative councillor for Chepstow Mount Pleasant, Paul Pavia, said the council has also raised the impact of the bridge closure on local roads and increased traffic, diverted over the second crossing, on the M4 junction at Magor.
She said those concerns have also been outlined to Welsh transport minister Ken Skates and the council has 'emphasised the importance of the M48 link road'. The authority has been arguing for the new junction, at Rogiet, which it says would relieve traffic on the motorway.
Cllr Pavia also raised concern at HGVs are continuing to cross the bridge, which he said had also been highlighted by Labour's Cllr Armand Watts, and he said 'anecdotally' it appears more lorries have been using the A48 through Chepstow.
Cllr Maby promised to share data from the air quality management zone, installed due to high levels of pollution at Hardwick Hill.
She also said enforcement of the weight restriction, that applies to all vehicles over 7.5 tonnes other than emergency service vehicles and scheduled buses, is now being done through ANPR number plate recognition cameras.
'How successful it is depends a lot on police back office capacity to enforce as with so many other things we deal with,' said Cllr Maby.