[Uk] Newport: Bassaleg bridge a 'nightmare' for residents

Residents fear a "nightmare" bridge closure that has cut off their homes for two years means properties have lost thousands of pounds in value.

Old Bassaleg Bridge, in Newport, was shut suddenly in August 2021 due to safety concerns.

Homeowners have said they worry people could die if emergency vehicles have problems accessing their community.

Newport council said the project was "complex and technically challenging", and did not say when work would end.

Tony Brooks, who lives on the street with his 90-year-old mother Margaret, said the situation was "scary".

He said paramedics had difficulty getting to her after she choked on food and became unconscious.

"How someone hasn't died, we don't know. If the circumstances were right, they wouldn't survive and if my mum had a heart attack, she would have gone," he said.

The bridge was initially closed after a structural review revealed it could potentially collapse under its own weight. It resulted in residents being evacuated to hotels in Cardiff.

Some repairs had been carried out by the start of 2022, and the bridge was reopened to pedestrians.

A gate was installed off the nearby dual carriage for emergency vehicles, but there have been problems when crews have not known the code and forced cut off the lock.

"I just don't want to live here any more," said Katherine Kirby, who has had a home on the street for 29 years.

"Every time I get off the bus and walk down this road and see the bridge, my heart just sinks."

Neighbour Sarah Williams said the time since the bridge closed had been an "absolute nightmare" for residents.

"We can't get any maintenance done on the houses because nobody will bring their equipment all their way up to the houses and back," she said.

"We want to sell up, but the trouble is the house prices have gone down by 25% so we can't even sell up and move."

Another resident, Lisa Grant, said there are longer-term questions that need to be answered.

"I am sick and tired of the council's patronising attitude towards us," the retired NHS worker said.

"All we get whenever we try to contact them is that they are monitoring the bridge. Well how long does it take to monitor a bridge?"

She added: "I would move if I could, but no one wants to buy [the houses] now.

"I am not selling my property for far less just because the bridge has been closed. It's just so hard to live here now."

Sarah Rogers has resorted to pulling a trolley full of shopping from her car on one side of the River Ebbw to homes on the other side.

She does this for her disabled neighbour whose care package does not include home deliveries.

"If I didn't do his shopping he wouldn't have any stuff," she said.

Newport council said: "Due to the nature of the damage to the structure, work on the Bassaleg Bridge project has proved complex and technically challenging.

"Emergency services all have access to Forge Mews via the emergency gate. The access code has been provided to all emergency service partners and should be passed on to frontline workers should they need it."

The council added that it would continue to monitor the situation.