Travellers to face disruption as Severn bridge and tunnel will close for repairs

Drivers are also warned the M4's Prince of Wales Bridge will be shut westbound overnight on Monday 8 July, Tuesday 9 July and Saturday 10 July. Credit: PA

Travellers on the busiest routes between south Wales and England will face disruption in July as both the M4 Severn Bridge and Severn rail tunnel will close for repairs between Wednesday 3 July and Friday 19 July.

Great Western Railway (GWR) has announced that due to "track renewal and essential drainage work" there will be no direct trains running between south Wales and Bristol for several days next month.

While GWR services will operate as usual between Pembroke Dock and Newport, all services via the Severn Tunnel will be affected.

Trains from south Wales to London will be rerouted via Gloucester, bypassing Bristol Parkway entirely.

The disruption is scheduled from Wednesday, 3 July to Thursday, 18 July, and then again on the weekend of 27 and 28 July.

Limited replacement buses will be available between Bristol Parkway and Newport but only on Sundays.

Travellers needing to reach Bristol Parkway from south Wales will have to go past Gloucester before heading back south and west towards Bristol.

Drivers are also warned the M4's Prince of Wales Bridge will be shut westbound overnight on Monday 8 July, Tuesday 9 July and Wednesday 10 July.

The M4 bridge will also close eastbound on Wednesday and Thursday 10 and 11 July but the M48 Severn Bridge is due to remain open.

On Monday and Tuesday 8 and 9 July, the M4's westbound carriageway will be shut between 9pm and 5am on the bridge each night as well as the tunnel being closed.

On Wednesday and Thursday 10 and 11 July, the M4's eastbound carriageway will be shut between between those times.

On Saturday 20 July - the M4's westbound carriageway will be shut from 9pm . Then on Sunday 21 July from 5am there will be a two-lane contraflow in each direction and a reduced speed limit on the bridge through the summer.

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A GWR spokesperson announced: "Track renewal and essential drainage work will affect all train services via the Severn Tunnel with no direct trains between Bristol and South Wales.

"Trains between London and South Wales will be diverted via Gloucester and as a result these services won't stop at Bristol Parkway. A limited number of trains will be running between Bristol Parkway and London Paddington in the morning and the evening only.

"Trains will run between Bristol Parkway and Portsmouth Harbour via Bristol Temple Meads, plus between Bristol Temple Meads and Taunton, Plymouth or Penzance.

"Other train services will still be running between Bristol Temple Meads or Bristol Parkway and Gloucester - change at Gloucester for trains to South Wales. Transport for Wales and CrossCountry train services to/from South Wales via Gloucester or Cheltenham Spa are unaffected by the Severn Tunnel closure."

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