Emergency meeting planned as chaos continues at Llanrhaeadr Waterfall
An emergency meeting is being held on how to manage the thousands of visitors that are flocking to a Mid Wales beauty spot.
Residents along the road leading to Pistyll Rhaeadr waterfall, four miles out of Llanrhaeadr, say they are being trapped in their homes by gridlocked traffic while on Sunday the owner of the cafe at the foot of the falls said he was forced to shut the complex down because of the sheer numbers.
Powys Council will be among those at a meeting that will be held on Friday to discuss the way forward.
The narrow four-mile road was choked with traffic this weekend and with the car park at the foot of the falls full, nothing could move in any direction.
Jo Moller, who has lived two and a half miles along the four mile road to the waterfall for 20 years, said the situation had become unbearable.
"The traffic has been increasing massively over the last few years but since the beginning of July it’s been unbearable and a health and safety nightmare for us residents in our own homes," she said.
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Mrs Moller said the road was often gridlocked by 10.30am and twice in the past two weeks her husband and children had had to leave their car at a friend's farm and walk a mile and a half home.
"I suffer with rheumatoid arthritis which affects my mobility and I simply couldn't walk that far so I am scared to leave home."
She said her younger son couldn't go to his football trials this weekend because of the gridlocked roads and said the weekend before they had to take her eldest son to hospital with appendicitis.
"Fortunately we left for A&E at 8.30am. If we had left an hour later when the road was already gridlocked it doesn't bear thinking about. He had to have an emergency operation."
"Ambulances have had problems coming up the road to deal with other emergencies."
The family online business, simplyribbons.com has also been affected.
"Our parcels are shipped daily by DPD & Royal Mail . Last week one of the drivers arrived to collect our parcels in terrible state extremely upset and shaking after a tourist had been so rude and threatening to them and there was nothing she could as he wouldn’t drive past her ."
Mrs Moller said there needed to be more information in the village of Llanrhaeadr about the parking and a warning about how busy the road can be.
"Closing the road and made people walk in principle is fine but then they are parking anywhere and so many of the walkers aren’t prepared for walking four miles with unsuitable clothing and not even water with them. They are leaving heaps of rubbish and there is no respect for our home and this natural beauty.
"Fortunately a local farmer lower down the road helped out tremendously this weekend by opening his field for parking and spent all weekend advising people to park and walk from there.
"We are so grateful as this helped so much but I believe he’s been criticised.
"We are all feeling incredibly vulnerable and very sad . We need help as community to risk asses this and then help to implement and manage it."
