ALTERNATIVE solutions to relieving congestion in Monmouthshire must be sought urgently after the £1.6 billion M4 relief road was rejected, according to council leader Peter Fox.

Monmouthshire councillors will be asked to call on the first minister Mark Drakeford and Transport for Wales to back several transport infrastructure proposals in the county.

These include completing a study into Chepstow’s traffic problems by the end of the year, supporting ongoing plans for a Magor railway station and prioritising upgrades to the existing Severn Tunnel Junction station.

A new phase should be added onto the South Wales Metro scheme, says Monmouthshire County Council’s leader Cllr Fox, in a bid to seek higher levels of service in the "neglected" area east of Newport.

The Conservative council chief has also suggested ideas proposed by the Future Generations Commissioner Sophie Howe during the public inquiry should also be considered by the Welsh Government.

In a motion to full council, Cllr Fox says Mr Drakeford’s decision to scrap the construction of a new motorway around Newport, while "deeply regrettable", had been accepted.

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