SIR,

Thank you Monmouthshire Beacon. I am sure that by printing a letter in your column about the difficulties of negotiating Raglan High Street, urged Monmouthshire County Council  (MCC) to break with tradition  - and answer a letter of complaint.

The problem was that a large council vehicle suddenly pulled out into the High Street when the driver could see that a stream of vehicles was coming uphill from the other direction -  meaning that  all the other vehicles had to back up.

The driver states in his defence that: ' Raglan High Street has an intrinsic problem of vehicles parked in areas designated no waiting and parked on both sides of the street'. And this was the reason for his manoeuvre into the middle of the road.

But it must be said that  he is to be congratulated for determining that it is an 'intrinsic problem' for vehicles to negotiate the narrow double-parked Raglan High Street, as this fact seems to have escaped the council for many years. And it must be pointed out that   Raglan High Street's  'intrinsic problem' is the responsibility of Monmouthshire County Council to solve.

Responding to the complaint, highways operations manager Grove Risbey admitted that the  driver was 'trying to gain access to Station Road' - which is much more easily approachable from the by-pass and Monmouth Road. So there was no need for the driver to be in the High Street at all.

 So well done to this MCC employee, whose action has prompted Mr Risbey to state that council drivers should now give 'consideration should be given to using an alternative route in the future'.   

A small step for MCC, but a giant leap for Raglan.

 Grateful Raglan resident