WORK on the planned new relief bridge over the River Monnow in Monmouth may not now begin for at least another year.

Since objections by the Council for the Protection of Rural Wales to the siting originally proposed by designers Ove Arup, other positions for the badly needed bridge have now been re-examined.

The choice lies between a site linking the Chippenham playing fields to the town's market area and one further downstream, explained Monmouthshire assistant director of environmental services Dave Harris.

"Among other considerations raised were that the original choice was too close to the old bridge," said Mr Harris.

This had forced the rethink leading to the current state of affairs, even though many had thought the original Ove Arup design had no adverse effect on the old bridge. The overall plan after all was to ease traffic damage to the ancient structure and ease access to the town.

"But we will still have to go through the planning process and perhaps amend things after that, so it may be some time before work actually starts," said Mr Harris.

•A MAN who believes not enough study was done on Monmouth's costly flood prevention scheme is warning Chepstow to make sure its up and coming new defences work.

"Basically, I think the Monmouth scheme doesn't work," said Don Stroud, 82, a retired BNFL vacuum tester who moved to Monmouth when he retired in 1978. He said he believed not enough work was carried out on assessing the permeability of the soil in the area of the new flood embankment.

Water flowed far more easily under the ground than had been allowed for and the result was rain disappeared quickly when the River Wye was low but created floods when it was high, making the costly work ineffective.

Just as Monmouth's flood scheme involved its proposed new road bridge, so the fate of Chepstow's old Wye Bridge rested on the effectiveness of new river flood barriers. He urged thorough checks.

However Mr Harris said much as he appreciated the thought and study Mr Stroud had put into the Monmouth flood scheme, all the assessment work carried out pointed to continued flooding round Monmouth being caused by reasons other than permeability.