THE CLOSURE of the A48 and the oil spill in Nantycaws has been described as a “double blow” for west Wales by Carmarthenshire Assembly Members.

Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire AM Angela Burns and Preseli Pembrokeshire Paul Davies AM have issued a joint-statement in response to the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs statement on the Oil Spill in Carmarthenshire.

Over 140,000 litres of kerosene leaked out into waterways on the outskirts of Carmarthen during engineering works last week on the mainline pipeline near Valero's refinery.

Work began last month on repairs to the pipeline, leading to the eastern carriageway of the A48 road being closed to traffic with diversions in place.

Round the clock work will now start on the A48 this Friday, October 14 until the morning of Monday, October 17, where both lanes will be closed.

The joint statement read: “The oil spill, which has now resulted in the closure of both lanes of the A48, is a double-blow to the people of West Wales, cutting off both of its most vital economic arteries.

“The Welsh Government’s response to this mess has at best been lethargic.

“They accepted a roads programme that saw the project being dragged on for six weeks with no 24-hour working.

“We would welcome a speedy investigation from the Health and Safety Executive and Natural Resources Wales to identify what went wrong, why it went wrong, and who is responsible.

“Whoever is at fault needs to make the appropriate reparations to put right the cost to the environment and local economy.

“When the spill is finally plugged then the situation can best be remedied by introducing 24-hour works on getting the roads up and running again.

“It is incredibly vital that we keep the West Wales economy going and that lessons are learnt.”

Oil giant Valero has also apologised for the inconvenience caused by a pipeline fuel spill that led to the significant pollution incident.

A Valera spokesperson said: "The pipeline is recognised by the UK and Welsh governments to be an important part of the UK energy infrastructure, serving the Midlands and North West England.

"We would again like to apologise to all local residents for the inconvenience this incident may have caused and to reassure them that we are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible."