DORMICE have been blamed for continued delays to repair a carriageway on a main road linking Monmouth with Ross-on-Wye.

Drivers have faced delays on this stretch of the A40, just north of Monmouth, since February 2024 when rockfall closed the north bound carriageway at Ganarew, in Herefordshire, known as Leys Bend. A contraflow system has since been established,

Delays in the construction project have included assessment of the potential for further rockfalls and ecological precautions.

Carl Touhig, a senior officer for highways at Monmouthshire Council cited Leys Bend as an example of how repairs and maintenance work can fall behind schedule because of concerns there may be with dormice causing slippage to the planned awork adding another six months on to the job.