James Evans MS has voiced his concerns to Dwr Cymru / Welsh Water over their recent programme of works in Brecon and Radnorshire. 

Many residents are said to have expressed their frustration over the impact of these works, which are ongoing to upgrade the drinking water network in the Llyswen and Three Cocks areas.

The issues include the serious compromise of the stone bridge underneath the road in Three Cocks, and the traffic problems around the High School and Railway Garden Centre in the village.

The traffic lights in Llyswen are said to have not been working properly on several occasions, resulting in people queuing for up to a mile and taking anything between 20 and 45 minutes to get through the lights. 

Access to a local to farmers’ fields was believed to have been blocked by works and equipment.

Most recently on Monday (October 23), there was an issue of a burst main in Llyswen due to the contractor breaching it, which resulted in some cars being damaged and many people being without water. 

Speaking on the issues, James Evans MS said: "Many residents are questioning the competency of the scheme design as well as the competency of contractors.  One comment I have received was ‘why are they not placing the new main/pipes alongside the existing ones rather than over top of them which resulted in the existing main being breached?’.  

“This is addition to the chaos caused at Three Cocks with tankers bringing in water, the damage to the bridge and ongoing disruption to residents is not acceptable. 

"I am writing to Dwr Cymru to get further information and reassurances that Dwr Cymru are working with contractors to mitigate these issues. 

"Further to all of this, I also understand that the A470 is due to be closed in Llyswen for three weeks in January. I am seeking assurances that diversions will be in place to minimise the inevitable disruption to local residents.” 

In response to these issues and comments made by James Evans, Dwr Cymru / Welsh Water have said: "We are currently carrying out essential work to upgrade the drinking water network in the Llyswen and Three Cocks areas.  This essential work will ensure customers in the area will continue to receive a first-class water supply direct to their taps.

“While we always aim to deliver our vital investment schemes with the least disruption possible, we are sorry that some of our work here appears to have fallen short and we would like to apologise for any inconvenience that has been caused.  

“We would like to assure customers that we’ve carried out a full review of the work that is remaining on the project to ensure we avoid causing any unnecessary disruption going forward.”