Landslip inquiry at beauty spot

There is now work to contain the problem in the long term. Enlarge Image

Experts are examining a wooded hillside after part of it collapsed above a beauty spot in south Wales.

Trees, rocks and slurry were brought down at Barbadoes hill, above the Wye Valley village of Tintern.

The 15ft landslip last weekend led to the closure of the A466 for two days, while special barriers were erected.

Andrew Welsh of Monmouthshire council's highways department said: "It's by far the biggest slip I've ever seen in the Wye valley."

Mr Welsh added that the safety barriers were enough to ensure the road could re-open.

"It's now up to geo-technical experts to find a way of stabilising it," he added.

'Substantial amount'

"At first sight it appears as though a number of springs have been pouring down the hillside and have built up and built up and then burst, causing this slippage."

The majority of land is owned by Forestry Commission Wales and it is in negotiations with its engineers and geo-technical experts from Cardiff.

Managers are waiting to see what work needs to be done but estimate the slip is 80 metres wide and 100 metres deep.

Robert Gable, manager with Forest Commission Wales, said: "The earliest indication is that a substantial amount of water has built up halfway down the hillside, causing a burst which has destabilised the upper part of the hill."

Alan Horne, who owns a cottage nearby, said: "My son David heard the trees starting to snap and break at about 2am in the morning."