Twelve claims for compensation have been made following ice falls which closed the two Severn bridges for a total of 54 hours, Plaid Cymru AM Chris Franks has been told.
Figures provided by the Highways Agency indicate that around 80,000 drivers had their journeys disrupted by the closures of the Second Severn Crossing and the Severn Bridge.
Chris Franks, Plaid Cymru AM for South Wales Central, said: “These ice falls pose a potentially very serious danger to the public and it was fortunate that motorists have not been injured or worse.
“Plaid will be pressing to make sure all possible action is being taken by the Highways Agency and the Severn River Crossing company to look at ways of resolving what appears to be a recent phenomena.
“I’m interested to find out how countries like Sweden and Denmark, which have much harsher winters, tackle this issue.
“Plaid considers that the closure of the bridges sends out a very bad message to the public and businesses. This is a key route into Wales and shutting the bridges does damage the economy as well as inconveniencing drivers.”
In response to questions from the Plaid AM, the Highways Agency said that the Second Severn Crossing had been closed for a total of 44 hours on three occasions, twice in February 2009 and once in December 2009, due to ice.
While the original Severn Bridge was shut twice for a total of 10 hours. Between 30,000 and 40,000 vehicles use the bridges daily.
The Highways Agency told Chris Franks that it and the SRC had reviewed worldwide experience of ice and made contact with other operators of similar crossings in northern Europe. A report, Winter Resilience Review, had been prepared for the Agency by Mott MacDonald.
The Highways Agency said: “The build-up of ice in recent times is due to the unusual weather conditions and unusual amounts of snow in and around the Severn Crossings estuary area.
“In association with the Met Office, weather conditions that could lead to ice problems have been identified. If such conditions are predicted, the crossings are monitored for any ice build-up and closed prior to ice falling.”
