Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:16 pm on 25 October 2022.
Deputy Minister, the scenes we've been seeing play out in Anglesey over the last few days are completely unacceptable and, dare I say it, avoidable. I must say, from the moment the bridge suddenly closed late on Friday afternoon, there has been complete chaos in the area, with drivers, pedestrians and cyclists left stranded. My inbox has been inundated with messages over it, and I'm based in south-east Wales. Closing the bridge at the last minute without prior warning for what could be potentially four months will not only hit residents, visitors and commuters, but also hard-working businesses in the area. Of course, Deputy Minister, safety is paramount—I'm not going to deny it for a single second—but how on earth are we only now aware of structural weaknesses here today? A 200-year-old bridge, which is used by nearly 50,000 vehicles every day, should be regularly inspected, not every six years. If this problem had been picked up sooner, advance warning could have been given and the people of Anglesey would have been able to make alternative arrangements. Motorists are now expected to use the Britannia bridge while the Menai is closed. This is simply not going to work, Deputy Minister, especially now as we're heading into winter, when the Britannia bridge is regularly closed due to high winds. What happens if the Britannia bridge is forced to close while the Menai is closed? Some of my colleagues here, and my honourable colleague Virginia Crosbie in Westminster, have indeed been getting attacks on social media by your Labour Party over this sorry saga. The Labour Party, which clearly doesn't have true understanding of the situation, has been claiming this is a UK Government problem, because it involves a company called UK Highways A55 Limited—[Interruption.]