Severn Bridge closes due to ‘unprecedented’ levels of staff sickness
Written by News on 05/08/2018
Motorists were left stuck in tailbacks as “unprecedented” levels of staff sickness forced the closure of the Severn Bridge.
The motorway suspension bridge between England and Wales re-opened at 2pm but was closed all morning after a “crucial” toll staff member called in sick.
“We apologise for any inconvenience that the closure of the M48 Old Severn Bridge may have caused drivers on Saturday morning,” Severn Bridges head of operations Rob Llewellyn told Sky News.
“Due to an unprecedented level of illness affecting the team, including that of a safety critical role, were unable to adequately staff the toll plaza and were therefore not able to maintain adequate levels of safety for drivers and our staff.”
Staff had been transferred to the Second Severn Crossing, recently renamed the Prince of Wales Bridge, to “ensure that the toll plaza was fully operational to accommodate additional traffic and ensure a smooth flow of traffic across the bridge,” Mr Llewellyn added.
The Severn Bridge, which was opened in 1966 by the Queen, is around five miles south of the Prince of Wales Bridge.
Both charge a toll of £5.60 for standard vehicles and around 17,000 vehicles use the crossing each day.
Travellers were faced with huge delays as they were forced to find alternative routes into South Wales.
Motorists expressed their frustration on social media, with many asking why the toll was not left open for the day free of charge.
One person tweeted: “Only in the UK – staff shortage due to sickness at Severn Bridge means there is not enough staff to collect the toll – so what do they do? Allow cars to cross for free? No – they close the bridge!! #jobsworth“.
Another said: “Then open the barriers and let people cross the bridge for free. Biggest rip off bridge ever.”
Kevin Daffey, who was cycling over the bridge on the pedestrian lane, said it was “curious” to see all of the toll booths set to “big red X’s”.
“There were no queues as the traffic was diverted onto the Prince of Wales bridge a few miles east,” he told Sky News.
“It was eerily quiet. There were more motorcycles on the pedestrian lane than normal as they can use this instead of the motorway lanes,” he added.
The closure applied to all westbound lanes between Junction 1 and 2 on the M48 – which links Chepstow in Monmouthshire and Aust in South Gloucestershire.
The eastbound direction from South Wales into Bristol remained open since it is not controlled by tolls.
(c) Sky News 2018: Severn Bridge closes due to ‘unprecedented’ levels of staff sickness
