Brexit stockpiling, weather delays and Covid-19 outbreak blamed for Holyhead ferry and traffic hold-ups

A triple threat of Brexit stockpiling, weather delays and an outbreak of Covid-19 on a ferry have been blamed for delays to sailings from Holyhead.

Drivers on the A55 westbound on Anglesey are currently facing a tailback of more than two miles as a result of some crossings being delayed by as long as eight hours.

North Wales Police has urged motorists to avoid the area.

A spokesman for Stena Line Ports said a number of factors had caused the problems, including the knock on effects from previous weather delays and the huge volume of Brexit stockpiling by freight companies;

Traffic has also been diverted onto the island from Birkenhead due to the Stena Edda ferry being put out of service by an outbreak of Covid-19.

While it is hoped that crossings from the Wirral will be able to resume tonight, further bad weather has been forecast.

North.Wales understands an emergency meeting is currently taking place, with port officials, police and local authorities gathering to address the situation on Anglesey.

Original article from earlier today below…

Drivers are stuck in a tailback on the A55 leading towards Holyhead as ferry crossings experience lengthy delays.

One Stena Line sailing between Holyhead and Dublin, which was due to leave at 2.30am this morning, was held up by more than eight hours.

The company’s website shows other services are also delayed by six hours or more, which is having a knock on effect on the dual carriageway heading westbound.

Traffic maps indicate that queues on the island stretch back for over two miles from Holyhead back towards junction two for Ty Mawr.

No official explanation has been provided by Stena Line, but a post on the company’s Twitter account suggests the delays have been caused by yesterday’s bad weather.

Traffic Wales have also turned off public cameras pointing at the queues, with the two images in this article the last two published online. Usually Traffic Wales only stop public viewing of their cameras if there is an ongoing incident, or for maintenance reasons.