Local MP Simon Hart has had a dig at the Welsh Government, querying why a ‘mystery digger’ has appeared on site where work is due to take place on the new Llanddewi Velfrey A40 by-pass, when the start date is likely to be several weeks off.

Clarification had recently been given by Wales’ Deputy Minister for climate change Lee Waters that work on the new by-pass would not be affected despite the Welsh Government announcing last month a freeze on new road building projects, whilst a review of highway schemes across the country is carried out.

MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire Simon Hart voiced his frustration that the project which will see a new road from Penblewin roundabout pass to the north of the village of Llanddewi Velfrey before re-joining the A40 could now be delayed, with Mr. Waters clarifying: “On the specific question of the Llanddewi Velfrey to Redstone Cross scheme, as we’ve said, all schemes where there are currently diggers in the ground will continue, and that is one of them.

Now Mr. Hart claims that civil engineering and construction company Alun Griffiths the contractors for the project, have been instructed to place an excavator on the site to indicate a more ‘substantial start’ to the work, even though there are no plans for the project to start in the near future.

“It’s good news that the Llandewi Velfrey bypass is at last going to go ahead, having narrowly escaped the most recent Welsh Government ‘review’. This has been an on/off saga for almost a decade so I have sympathy for residents who tell me they will believe it when they see it!” remarked Mr. Hart.

“But there is a rather mysterious twist too. Deputy Welsh Government minister Lee Waters paused all road improvement schemes on June 22 except those where there were ‘diggers in the ground’.

“This raised two urgent local questions. Firstly, what about the promise that the Welsh Government had apparently given to Plaid Cymru to proceed with the Llandeilo by-pass, and secondly the small matter of there being no diggers anyway near, let alone digging anything, at Llandewi Velfrey. The first headache was resolved by a neat reversal of the policy, given the useful support Plaid give Labour in Cardiff, but the second was more curious,” he continued.

Referring to an email trail he had been shown, Mr. Hart states that on the orders of the Welsh Government (the client) the by-pass contractors were quickly dispatched a week after the announcement, to park a ‘very visible digger’ in the most prominent position possible (pictured) to give the impression that work had started whereas in fact the start date could yet be several weeks off.

“This attempt to con locals in an attempt to protect the reputation of a Welsh Government minister may not be the most serious thing in the world, but to do so as clumsily as this raises important questions,” stated Mr. Hart.

“The Deputy Minister made a clear promise in the chamber of the Senedd which, like the House of Commons, is sacred. Misleading colleagues and the public in these places one of the most serious offences a minister can commit.

“Doing so in error - which can happen - can normally be dealt with by way of clarification and apology, but to do so when the paper trail so clearly reveals a plot is much more serious.

“Personally I’m delighted that the project is happening, but if we are to retain confidence in Mr. Waters it is important that he explains who gave the orders to carry out this deliberately misleading pretence of construction activity,” he added.