Lane blocked off for days as highways staff try to resolve drainage problem

Richard Youle – Local Democracy Reporter

A traffic lane heading into Swansea has been blocked off for days as highways staff try to resolve a drainage problem which has led to flooding.

The one lane of the eastbound dual carriageway on Mumbles Road has been cordoned off for around half a mile due to persistent floodwater.

Traffic has slowed as a result, particularly in the morning rush hour. Queues have also formed on Sketty Lane, which joins Mumbles Road nearby, while Derwen Fawr Road is also busier than usual. Swansea Council highways staff are trying to resolve the problem.

A council spokesman said: “The recent storm and heavy rainfall has caused a blockage in our drainage system. We are working hard to clear the blockage. In the meantime, we have closed a lane along Mumbles Road where water is unable to drain away sufficiently.

“The closure is necessary to ensure motorists are safe when travelling along this route and we hope to have the lane reopened as soon as possible.”

Heavy rain

The council didn’t say when the inside lane was first blocked off, but a highways worker said on November 15 that staff had been there for four days. Workers were inspecting what looked like a manhole on the embankment across the road, by the westbound carriageway.

Last month was the sixth wettest October in the UK since 1890. Wales as a whole received a third more rain than normal in October, according to the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology – and November, thus far, is following suit. On the plus side reservoir levels in Wales have recovered from a low point in October 2022, and river flows are generally above normal.

More heavy rain has been forecast for Swansea for the morning of Thursday November 16, and a yellow weather warning is in place. Another low pressure due to arrive in the early hours of Saturday November 18.