City street faces nightly closure

Wind Street in Swansea city centre attracts thousands of revellers

A busy city centre road could be closed to traffic every evening of the week after concerns over pub-goers' safety.

Swansea council's cabinet has agreed in principle to shut Wind Street, and traders will now be consulted before a final decision by the full council.

Police, landlords and students had warned of a serious injury or death on the road unless it was closed during the busy student night on Wednesdays.

Traffic is already banned from 1900 GMT on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Wind Street hosts one of the busiest nights in the city on Wednesdays with about 4,500 students and others using its pubs and clubs.

Closing the street every night could cost up to £10,000 a year and the proposal is also expected to attract opposition from traders.

Swansea council's cabinet has voted in principle to close Wind Street every night

In a letter, Chief Insp Wyn Rees said: "The evening is extremely popular with the student community.

"The absence of a road closure on this day has huge implications for public safety."

The Safer Swansea Partnership said that from viewing CCTV footage of the street, "near-misses" were a "common occurrence".

"If closures are not implemented, injuries are all but inevitable," it added.

Richard Lancaster, general manager of Swansea university's athletics' union, said Wednesday nights regularly attracted more than 4,500 students and non-students to Wind Street and were busier than Thursdays or Fridays.

He said the street had become "really quite dangerous" with many revellers assuming it was closed to traffic like the weekends.