Holyhead Port closure: Fears over Christmas goods and holiday travel
ITV Wales' Rob Shelley reports from Holyhead.
The closure of Holyhead Port to ferry traffic could affect the delivery of Christmas goods and disrupt people travelling between Wales and the Republic of Ireland ahead of Christmas Day, it is feared.
The Anglesey port, connecting Wales with Dublin via ferry crossings lasting three and a half hours, is closed until further notice as infrastructure damage is repaired following Storm Darragh, which saw gusts of up to 94mph batter Wales.
It will stay closed until at least Thursday, 19 December, causing disruption at one of the busiest trading periods of the year, with passenger numbers also set to rise as people travel for Christmas.
First Minister Eluned Morgan declined to commit to the port being reopened by Christmas Day.
Traffic Wales, run by the Welsh Government, said on its website: "Holyhead Port is currently closed due to significant damage caused by Storm Darragh. All sailings have been cancelled until further notice, pending vital structural inspections to ensure safety."
Travellers are asked not to travel to Holyhead Port, not to stop on the A55, and to avoid parking in residential areas, while those needing to collect trailers are asked to contact the port directly.
Traffic Wales said: "This closure is being managed through a coordinated effort between the Port Authority, Stena Line, Irish Ferries, Welsh Government, and Isle of Anglesey County Council to ensure public safety and minimise disruption. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this time. Further updates will be provided as they become available."
A Irish Ferries spokesperson said: "Irish Ferries can confirm categorically that the current closure of Holyhead Port is not due to an Irish Ferries vessel but due to damage to port infrastructure caused during Storm Darragh. Queries about the reopening of the terminal are a matter for the port operator, Stena Line Ports. Irish Ferries continues to liaise closely with customers booked to travel on the route in making alternative arrangements."
A spokesperson for Stena Line said: "Due to the closure of Holyhead Port, Stena Line has cancelled all ferry services between Dublin and Holyhead until Friday, 20 December. The company is currently in the process of contacting all affected customers.
"Travel customers are advised to amend their bookings online free of charge or through its Contact Centre on 0344 770 7070 (UK)/ + 353 1 907 5555 (ROI). Stena Line is currently assessing options for additional sailings from Dublin to its ports in Birkenhead and Fishguard as well as from Belfast to Cairnryan and Heysham to assist continuity of trade and passenger flows.
"Stena Line would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused and assure customers that the company is doing everything in its power to mitigate the effects of the closure on passenger and freight traffic."
Addressing the disruption on Friday, 13 December, First Minister Eluned Morgan said: "Storm Darragh has really created havoc in our nation, and has been particularly damaging for Holyhead Port.
"The transport secretary met with the managers of the port (on Thursday) and the local authorities to make sure that they had everything they needed that we could offer them, but it is going to be a few days before the port is reopened.
"I know every effort will be made to try and turn things round as quickly as they can. There's not an insignificant amount of damage and of course this is a particularly busy time of year for that port."
Asked if it will be open by Christmas Day, the FM said: "That is something that's going to be in the hands of the people who are correcting the problems caused by the storm."
Llinos Medi, the Plaid Cymru MP for Ynys Môn, said some HGV drivers have been sat in Holyhead for "many, many days" amid the disruption.
"It just shows the complexity of the damage following the storm," the MP said.
"Here in Ynys Mon, we're used to seeing the HGVs along the A55 and in Holyhead town but actually every one of those journeys is important to someone.
"Over the Christmas period, we know the importance of arriving back home for the foot passengers and also the content of those HGVs - Christmas presents, Christmas goods, and all those things that make our Christmas here.
"The implication of not being able to move the flow of traffic here has a massive implication on the economy across the UK.
"The importance now is that we help the port get back moving as soon as possible, as safely as possible."