A COUNCILLOR has hit out at the “incompetent planning” of much-delayed roadworks, calling the situation a “mess.”

The roadworks by the Toll House on the road to Mitchel Troy are to be delayed yet again, with Monmouthshire County Council advising that the works will not be completed until 6th June.

The original notice advising of planned work to the retaining wall near the junction with the B4293 Trellech road was issued in August 2015. The work was supposed to take four weeks to complete.

Residents and road users have expressed their concerns with the emissions of waiting vehicles and frustration of long delays with Debby Blakebrough, county councillor for Trellech United. She said: “At the moment the junction is a mess and the works are a long way behind schedule, I believe this is due to incompetent planning by the contractor.

“I hear mixed reactions from local residents. Some are frustrated by the queuing and hold ups created by the lights and express concerns that waiting traffic emissions will contribute to poor air quality.”

In March of this year, the Beacon reported that the work would be completed on 8th April.

The work, which was due to be completed by Christmas 2015, was delayed when contractors made a mistake with the construction and had to correct the work.

In an email to councillors, Stephen Baldwin, Project Engineer at MCC said: “These works have had more than their fair share of problems and issues and what could go wrong generally has. The result is that we are now unfortunately a long way behind programme.

“Before Easter it was hoped that we could at least reopen the road to two-way traffic after the installation of the vehicle restraint barrier which was programmed for work commencing 4th April. Because of the radius of the barrier these are not off the shelf items and usually have a minimum of four weeks lead-in which the contractor does not appear to have appreciated.

“As a result no barrier was installed as previously programmed and it is now not expected until the 30th May with completion on the 6th June.

“I must say that this came as extremely disappointing news and I have asked our consultant to ensure that this is closely adhered to and to ensure that the contractor is doing everything to complete these works as soon as possible. Unfortunately it would seem that the barrier supply and installation is key here and while we will try and bring the completion date forward we are governed somewhat by the availability of these materials.”

The contractor was contacted but was unavailable for comment.