Holyhead: 'This port is the heartbeat of the island', says business owner over job concerns
Video report by Ian Lang
Businesses have shared how they have been impacted by the closure of the port described as the 'beating heart of Holyhead and Anglesey'.
One of the UK’s busiest ports will remain closed until at least 15 January after sustaining significant damage during Storm Darragh.
Cheryl Kirkwood, who runs Royalty Recruitment, has had to let 10 haulage jobs go over the past week as a direct impact of the port closure.
She said: "The port is the beating heart of Holyhead and the island. So many people are employed here through the logistics companies or through customer service being there on the ships.
"There's so much employment going on and with the job losses that we've seen across the island in the recent years, this is an integral beating heart of the island."
She was gutted to let local families down, adding: "The port brings so much to the economy and with so many closures on Anglesey, it feels like the final nail in the coffin.
"It's clearly a big blow for Holyhead, for us as a business and all the local people we employ in both temporary and permanent roles within the logistics industry.
"We do hope that the port will indeed be re-open in mid-January and hope our logistics customers will come back to use the port of Holyhead after having to utilise other ports throughout the UK to maintain their businesses."
Leon Heskhets from Hendricks European Transport, a company based in Ireland, describes the knock-on impact of the port's closure.
He said: "The impact on the business is that the guys in the garage have come to a standstill. We've got no units. We've got no lorries and no trailers coming through the port. We were going to employ an apprentice, but we've had to put him on hold. The impact has been on shops and even cleaners in businesses. If they're not here then there is no work for them to do."
According to Stena Line, the ferry berths at Holyhead Port will remain closed until 15 January at the earliest.
Stena Line said: "We are now able to provide an update on the current closure of the Terminal 3 and Terminal 5 ferry berths at Holyhead Port.
"Regrettably, both terminals will need to remain closed until 15 Wednesday, January 2025 at the earliest. Our current priority is to establish when Terminal 5 can be re-opened safely, to resume ferry services.
"We understand the closure of the ferry terminals has had a significant impact on trade, passengers and port customers. We are sorry for the disruption this has caused. The safety of our colleagues and customers is our first priority and we will only permit ferry services to recommence once we are sure it is safe to do so."
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