Tourist road packed with potholes

The four-mile stretch of road from Llanrhaedr ym Mochnant to the waterfall - one of the seven wonders of Wales - is pitted with potholes, says Phil Facey, the owner of the cafe at the waterfall.

He claims that in 20 years living a working at the waterfall, he has never seen the road so bad.

In his frustration he has offered visitors who have had their cars damaged, his own video footage of the road.

Mr Facey said he had personally helped seven motorists in the past five weeks who had had punctures or wheels damaged when hitting the potholes.

"There are currently 27 potholes on just the last two-mile stretch of road," he said.

He claims lack of maintenance has cause the problem and says at the weekend he counted 19 blocked drains along the entire road.

"The water has nowhere to go except running down the road, causing road surface damage."

"I have contacted Powys County Council myself on five separate occasions reporting the dangers of potholes in the last seven weeks, with not one response."

"We have probably one of the highest visitors numbers of any tourist site in Wales. In the past our authorities knew the importance of this place not only for tourism and the benefits it brings to an area but also as a sacred place.

"In the 19th century through the efforts of our local vicar, through public subscription, Waterfall Road was laid with cobble stones to help the number of visitors who visited."

Adrian Jervis, head of highways for Powys County Council, said: “The council inspects adopted highways on a regular basis and any area of road or pavement that is considered an imminent danger to road users or pedestrians is noted and a repair arranged. The council also has an online system where motorists can inform the council of problems.

“We are not aware of any recent complaints regarding Waterfall Road, but repair work is scheduled for the road for January, which will include some sections of resurfacing.”