Traffic light problems snare 999 crews

Emergency services are being snarled up in traffic jams in Newtown due to ongoing problems with a new set of traffic lights in the town.

Crews are being caught up and de-layed in the town centre but bosses say lives are not being put at risk as a result.

New traffic lights in Pool Road are being blamed for the increasing chaos and calls have now been made for action to be taken.

The increased traffic problem has been blamed on Tesco opening its superstore last month before work on a new set of traffic lights was finished.

The Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency and Tesco are now working together to rectify the problem and have apologised for the extra delays.

A spokesman for the Mid and West Wales Fire Service said today it was hopeful the situation would soon be resolved.

He said: "Traffic chaos does add time on to our journey and we're hopeful a solution can be found to Newtown's current traffic problem."

Dyfed-Powys Police and the Welsh Ambulance Service said they were aware of the problems and were looking into the situation.

Mike Steward, of the Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency, said it would be doing all it could to solve the problem over the next few days.

He said: We are making every effort to ensure the signals operate effectively and this work will continue over the coming days

"We will continue to review the junction and seek to improve the situation as quickly as possible."

Councillor Joy Jones, the Major of Newtown, said she was worried about the extra delays.

She said: "Lives are being put in danger because I've witnessed first hand how emergency services are struggling to get through the congestion.

"The traffic chaos has got increasingly worse ever since the new set of traffic lights were switched on to coincide with Tesco opening last month.

"We've been promised that the situation will get better when the lights are fully synchronised but so far nothing has changed."

She said the traffic was making people avoid travelling through the town and coming to shop in the centre.

By Anwen Evans