THIS is the sight that greeted hundreds of commuters making their way down the Heads of the Valleys road towards Abergavenny on Monday morning, as drivers faced delays of up to an hour on the westbound carriageway.

Motorists were left frustrated by roadworks at both ends of town as temporary traffic lights also left drivers delayed heading to work via Monmouth Road, where queues tailed back on to the Hardwick Roundabout.

Meanwhile our reporter on the scene, Tomos Oakley, who was stuck in the standstill, told colleagues the lack of movement was likely caused have something to do with the temporary traffic lights that are positioned just after the slip road from the A465 at Waitrose roundabout, in Llanfoist.

Drivers were fast to vent their criticisms to the Chronicle, with one stating Abergavenny “didn’t have a traffic problem, it has a roadworks problem.” While Monmouthshire County Council came under fire for what some blasted as poor town planning, the cause of the gridlock in Abergavenny could have been unavoidable.

The lights in Llanfoist are there as a result of emergency works by Welsh Water, however locals have questioned whether a simple barrier would have sufficed.

“[There’s] no need for lights on the bridge,” one concerned reader said.

“The hole Welsh water have dug and left is the width of a parked car from the pavement edge, it just needs a barrier and cars can pass fine.”

The bus operator, Phil Anslow Coaches, also warned passengers they were experiencing significant delays across their networks and that anybody relying on their services should ensure they gave extra time to complete their journeys.

Disruption in the area could yet worsen, as work to cut back vegetation along the River Usk at the site of the new footbridge connecting Llanfoist to Abergavenny Town Centre gets underway.