The Welsh village that ‘faces absolute carnage’ every time motorway is closed

A series of incidents in recent weeks have led to widespread havoc

17:00, 02 Nov 2025

When the M4 closes, immediate concerns are naturally for the cause and those directly affected by whatever incident has occurred. Thoughts then likely shift to the thousands of motorists ensnared in the resulting mayhem, their journeys often significantly disrupted.

However, there's another group impacted when drivers must exit the motorway and seek alternative routes. This effect is particularly pronounced in one area of Southb Wales where there simply isn't an alternative for drivers.

If an incident occurs between junction 38 for Margam and 37 for Pyle, causing the motorway to close - as it has on several occasions this year, then traffic is forced to divert north, onto the A48.

There simply aren't any other apparent routes.

Vehicles could take a detour down the B4283 Water Street instead, but will inevitably encounter the same issues as everyone else.

The situation is currently more complex due to ongoing major roadworks on the M4 over the summer, reports Wales Online[1].

Work is taking place between junctions 37 and 38 on essential bridge maintenance to five structures on the M4. It started in June and is set to continue until the end of November.

The contraflows have already been causing delays and seeing some drivers seek alternative routes on the A48 through Pyle.

When there's an incident and lanes are already closed - there is no alternative but to divert all traffic off the M4.

That happened on September 15 when high winds caused the closure of the J37-J38 section for several hours. It happened again on September 25 - this time due to a lorry crash.

There were further incidents on October 4, 15 and 25.

To make matters worse, the September incidents coincided with roadworks in Pyle itself.

Independent Councillor Rhys Watkins, who represents the area, said the resulting diversions sent heavy traffic through the A48 - just as the utility works and temporary lights were already in place at Pyle Cross.

"It created a perfect storm of poor timing - putting businesses under pressure, blocking emergency access, and making it unsafe for children and families crossing the road," he said.

Traffic was reportedly at a "standstill" from 6.30am. "It was really bad," said Councillor Watkins. "I couldn't get to my office - I ended up working from home." His wife, out walking the dog that morning, described the scene simply as "absolute carnage."

With major M4 roadworks still underway, residents and business owners in Pyle say they've had enough. What began as temporary disruption has spiralled into months of gridlock, frustration, and what many locals see as a complete "planning failure" by authorities.

The knock-on effect of motorway closures and temporary traffic lights has left Pyle residents struggling to get to work, access businesses, or even leave their driveways.

"It wasn't just the temporary ones - the lights for the industrial estate have made things so much worse than before," one resident pointed out. "The lights by the garden centre were always a nightmare even before all the roadworks," another added.

Local businesswoman MLB Alcott described the situation as "an absolute nightmare" for both staff and customers. "Not only did I have to leave earlier to make work on time, but my customers were affected trying to enter and exit," she said. "What should have taken weeks stretched out to months. Combined with the ill-timed motorway works, it truly was a disaster waiting to happen."

However, despite some residents believing Bridgend County Borough Council was behind the disruption, the authority said none of the recent works in the Pyle area had been carried out by the council itself, but were essential to the town's infrastructure.

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A Bridgend County Borough Council spokesman said: "The recent roadworks at Pyle Cross were carried out by Wales and West Utilities as part of their statutory responsibilities to maintain and upgrade essential infrastructure. These works are planned, managed, and delivered by the utility company, and not by the council.

"Partners are encouraged to coordinate roadworks wherever possible but as Welsh Government's work on the M4 is taking place over six months it can be difficult to avoid clashes when other mandatory work also needs to be carried out.

"We worked with Wales and West Utilities to ensure any disruption was kept to a minimum and can confirm that the traffic lights were manually operated during peak hours in line with the conditions that we attached to their work notice. Information about the roadworks, including details about who was carrying out the works, was available to residents on our website and social media channels.

"In relation to the diversion route for the M4 roadworks, it was agreed that, as an A-road, the A48 would be a better option compared to directing traffic through the residential streets of North Cornelly."

The council also clarified that it had had no involvement in the ongoing M4 works, which are being carried out by the Welsh Government, and that the A48 diversion route had to be approved jointly by Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot councils due to its location.

Despite the necessity of the M4 works, for many residents, the traffic impact has been severe.

Jan Clarke said: "I've lost a few shifts at work purely because I couldn't get out of Cornelly!

All junctions were totally blocked."

Lorraine, who lives near Pyle Cross, described the disruption as "dangerous and distressing," saying that temporary lights caused confusion for drivers and operated noisily through the night.

Speaking on the works at Pyle Cross, Wales and West Utilities Programme Controller for Bridgend, Adam Smith, said: "We recently completed our GBP70,000 investment work to upgrade the gas network in the Pyle Cross area of Bridgend. This work was essential to keep the gas flowing to homes and businesses in the area and to make sure the gas network is fit for the future.

"We worked closely with Bridgend County Borough Council, which decides when the most appropriate time for us to carry out our essential work is. To keep people safe while we worked, traffic management, including some road closures, were in place throughout the project.

"Prior to starting, we sent letters to all the homes and businesses that would be affected.

We also contacted all local press to provide them with the information about our works, and our customer service team has gone to local homes and businesses along the route to talk to them individually about the project.

"We appreciate that while we work hard to keep disruption to a minimum, our work can impact on local businesses. Any local traders who feel their business has been affected by our work can apply for compensation under the Gas (Street Works) Compensation for Small Businesses Regulations 1996. They can contact our Customer Service Team on freephone 0800 912 2999 or [email protected].

"We know working on roads like these is not ideal, and we're sorry for any disruption that it caused, but this work was really essential to keep the gas flowing and to make sure the gas network is fit for the future."

Even though the works at Pyle Cross have now been cleared, residents say congestion continues, especially whenever incidents occur on the nearby motorway.

Last weekend (October 24-25), queuing traffic again built up along the M4 after crashes near ongoing works, diverting vehicles through Pyle and nearby villages.

The people of Pyle, particularly, are forever hoping everyone has a safe journey on the M4 at all times.

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References

1. ^ Wales Online (www.walesonline.co.uk)
2. ^ Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter (www.dailypost.co.uk)