The Minister with responsibility for Transport, Carl Sargeant, has confirmed that an additional £3m will be spent on maintenance over the next three months to improve resilience of the trunk road network in North Wales with a particular focus on the A55.

The decision to commit additional money to the route is a direct response to the recent closure of the A55 due to flooding as a result of heavy rainfall and high winds.

Following the closure the Minister ordered an urgent review to identify lessons learnt from the incident, establish the way forward and consider potential improvements.

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The initial stage of that review has now been completed and further work will identify the prioritisation of future drainage works and schemes.

Mr Sargeant said: "The A55 plays a vital role for the economy of North Wales."

"Ensuring that this essential route meets the needs of local businesses and residents in order to improve the local economy and regenerate the surrounding areas is paramount.

"The recent closure of the A55 due to flooding is unacceptable and we will be doing all that we can to avoid similar situations arising in the future.

"This additional money will help address the risk to the route, by enhancing the capacity of the existing infrastructure at known problem spots, whilst longer term work is planned."

This comes on top of increased spending with regard to drainage maintenance in recent years in North Wales, of £1.16m in 2011/12 and £0.65m this financial year.

(CD)