Flintshire Bridge reopened following earlier closure due to a protest on Deeside Industrial Estate

UPDATE: 8am – Confirmed – Flintshire Bridge and the A548 through Deeside Ind Estate is now back open..

From earlier:

The main transport route through Deeside Industrial Estate is closed this morning due to a protest.

A group of protesters gathered at the entrance of the Parc Adfer energy plant site at around 6am.

In an update on social media police said: “Motorists please be aware. We are attending a protest at #Deeside Ind Est this morning. Congestion likely on #A548″

The A548 is currently closed both ways as is Flintshire Bridge.

The latest travel report says:

‘A548 Flintshire Bridge both ways closed, slow traffic due to demonstration between Tenth Avenue and B5129 Kelsterton Road / Kelsterton Road (Connahs Quay Turn Off).

The demonstration has been on going since 06:00. Industrial action is taking place near Parc Adfer Site and the bridge has been closed for safety’

Interestingly the Deputy Leader of Flintshire County Council said in an update on twitter;

“Nothing to do with the incinerator this time I’m told. Apparently another company employees protesting over pay.”

Second Protest in less than a month

It is the second protest in less than a month, a group of workers who are currently working on the huge Parc Adfer site protested on October 15.

At the time they handed a letter claiming local, and UK-based workers were being excluded from mechanical and electrical construction work.

The protesters also claimed CNIM, the French firm handed the construction contract for the new Park Adfer incinerator on the industrial estate have a “track record of exploiting non-UK labour through bogus self-employment.”

Picture sent to Deeside.com on social media of the letter protesters were handing out.

A spokesperson for CNIM responded back on October 15, saying;

“We have had a group of people blocking the road at the entrance to the Parc Adfer site this morning from around 6.30am. 

We understand this is not an official gathering.

With reference to the claims being made by the protestors, we do not recognise these comments about CNIM and work practice in the UK, which fully complies with the law and good practice for now more than 20 years and especially for the projects executed and completed by CNIM these last years.

We have not received any evidence of the claims and continue to be in dialogue with the Trade Unions.

The project is still in its early stages and we are still recruiting for contracts across the site.”

The £800m Parc Adfer energy recovery facility is being built on part of the former Shotton steelworks site.

It has been named Parc Adfer to reflect how it will help North Wales recover energy from its non-recyclable waste (Adfer meaning to ‘recover’ or ‘restore’ in Welsh).

The construction phase is expected to result in hundreds of additional jobs and create around 35 new, full-time operational roles at the facility when plant operations commence in 2019.