Poor state of road described as being like a log flume

Residents in Bontuchel and Cyffylliog near Ruthin have slammed Denbighshire County Council over the state of one of the sections of the road between the two villages, which is impassable due to potholes covering a five metre stretch.

The situation is so bad that part of the tarmac has collapsed into a roadside ditch.

Llanrhaeadr county councillor, Joe Welch, said not only have the potholes caused damage to residents cars but that he is concerned there will be a "serious accident".

He said: “This section of the road is in a very poor state. It has been deteriorating for a number of months and is now in such a poor state that I fear there will be a serious accident. I have been complaining about this and am frustrated that nothing permanent has been done yet.

“Currently cars driving towards Bontuchel and Cyffylliog cannot drive on the left hand side of the road because of the state of the road. It is a very well used road and residents have been complaining to me about repairs costing hundreds of pounds to their cars which I am sure is in part because of the poor quality of this stretch of road. The road was likened to the log flume at Alton Towers on social media on the weekend.

“I have spoken with officers  who have assured me that it is their priority to sort this road and that it will be properly resurfaced in the coming financial year. I will pressing them that this takes place at the start of the financial year and not the end.”

Mike Davies, a resident from Cyffylliog, said: “As it is the main road from the village to the rest of the world, we must drive it every day, risking damage to our vehicles every time due to the dire state of it.

“Commuting for work is now a chore and we need to allow an extra five minutes each way for pot hole avoidance. I need to warn visitors to my house that the road is an obstacle course. ”

Kelly Mcgregor, from Cyffylliog, said: “The road has deteriorated drastically over the last few months and is now in need of drastic action before a serious accident occurs. There have been numerous failed attempts to repair the road, by means of loose tarmac thrown into the holes.”

A spokesperson for Denbighshire County Council said: “The situation is not straightforward.  Historically water from a farm at the top of the hill to Bontuchel has flowed into the highway drainage system and then out across private land downstream. Recently the drains at the top farm have failed and this has resulted in very dirty water entering the highway drain and then contaminating the private land to the extent that the owner downstream has blocked the outfall.

“We are now working with the farmer at the top of the hill to improve the situation and have an undertaking from the other landowner that they will re-open the system, once they are satisfied that the quality of the water has improved.

“Discussions with both sets of landowners are on-going and we are working hard to resolve the matter. Once we are confident it is sorted we will look to resurface the carriageway,  but in the meantime we will continue to try and keep it as safe as possible.”