RESIDENTS in a Wrexham village endured a traffic "nightmare" after the A483 was closed last night.  

Due to high winds forecast as a result of Storm Jocelyn, Traffic Wales closed a five-mile stretch of the A483 from Ruabon to Gledrid. 

The closure on Tuesday night (January 23) diverted traffic through Llangollen, due to Newbridge Road still being out of use, and caused chaos in the town. 

The traffic chaos was not only an issue in Llangollen, with Overton also feeling the effects of the A483 closure. 

With motorists trying to avoid the busy diversion through Llangollen, as well as roadworks either end of the village, many residents were stuck for over an hour trying to pass through. 

The roadworks on the A528 near the Cross Foxes caused carnage, with motorists facing huge delays. 

Overton resident Tony Walker told the Leader the traffic was a "nightmare" and it took his wife over an hour to get home from the Cross Foxes, which is a 1.5-mile journey. 

Mr Walker added: "The problem was due to the A483 closures, the traffic as it always does diverts through Overton, and as Overton is a bottleneck the traffic queues back out of the village and down the hill.

"When the lights changed to green for the Overton bound vehicles they were unable to move due to there still being cars in the TTL-controlled section.

"It took my wife over an hour to get home from the Cross Foxes which is approximately 1.5 miles.

"The almost now routine closing of the viaducts does not appear to be a fully thought through measure, just the easiest to implement. Close them and cause misery to hundreds of people."

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Nicola Edwards, another Overton resident, added: "Thankfully I was not in last night's traffic, but the problem occurs every time the A5 is closed for whatever reason.

"The diversion is sent via Llangollen but so many people go through St Martins and Overton instead. The latest traffic lights only exacerbated the problem last night and it was complete chaos.

"The whole situation just highlights the desperate need to reopen the Newbridge road which subsided 3 years ago this month.

"Small villages like Overton and even the narrower Main Street through Llangollen are not suitable for the volumes of traffic seen last night."