RESIDENTS claim they are facing major daily disruption as work to prepare fields for next month’s National Eisteddfod in Wrexham gets under way.

Teams of workmen are currently transforming about an acre of farmland between the A483 and Bersham Road into the setting for the big event, which runs from July 30-August 6.

But Shirley Edwards, who lives near the site in Pen-y-Ddol, claims she and her neighbours are being subjected to a catalogue of disruption.

She said: “Every morning between 6am and 7.30am articulated lorries from South Wales bring static caravans and all manner of containers on to the field and do not finish until about 6.30pm.

“They have been laying stone roads on the field using a vibrating roller. My house has been shaking and echoing inside. I am worried about what it is doing to the foundations.

“Within 100 yards of my front door is a large fence with two electric wires on top.
“We are also getting heavy traffic going to the site thundering over the speed ramps in the road outside our homes. The whole place is like a tip.

“All this has been going on for the past three weeks but we did not not receive a letter from Wrexham Council informing us that it would affect the quiet enjoyment of our properties.

“We should all receive compensation for the disruption it is causing.”

Colette Lord, 50, who lives just off the main road close to the Black Lion Inn, said:

“It is causing a lot of problems for us.

“I have single glazed windows and you really feel it every time a lorry comes past.

“They really should have given better communication on this.”

Another resident of the nearby Chapel Terrace, who asked not to be named, said she had also felt her house vibrate and believed the number of passing lorries had led to her car alarm being set off.

She said: “There has been very little communication about what is happening.

“We get a lot of traffic coming past at all times, including very early in the morning, and it is making things very difficult.”

Despite the widespread concerns about the traffic situation, another resident of Bersham Road said she did not believe the problem had been much worse than normal as the road is frequently busy with passing vehicles.

Cllr Rodney Skelland, lead member for regeneration and corporate governance and eisteddfod organiser Hywel Wyn Edwards said: “The National Eisteddfod is one of the world’s greatest cultural festivals, and travels around Wales.

“This year’s festival is held in Wrexham from July 30-August 6 and it is envisaged it will bring £6-£8 million to the local economy during its duration.

“At the moment, the area is a working site, with materials arriving daily as the work of putting together the Maes itself progresses. We appreciate that people in the area are aware of these deliveries and of the work undertaken at this time, but hope they appreciate the need for the site to be prepared for what will be a fantastic event, showcasing the Wrexham area to the whole of Wales and beyond.

“Working with Wrexham Council, all councillors were invited to the site for a briefing session earlier this week at which all the plans for the next few weeks were explained in great detail, including the development of the Maes itself and the work involved in creating a world-class event.

“We very much hope that the people of Wrexham will enjoy the eisteddfod as residents in all parts of Wales have done over the years, when it opens its gates in six weeks time.”