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A flood prone section of the A55 was under water again as vital drainage work can’t start until the Welsh Government reaches an agreement with landowners.

A lane of the westbound carriageway near Talybont in Bangor was closed on Monday night after it was submerged following torrential downpours brought by Storm Angus which wreaked havoc across North Wales.

It is the third time that this stretch of the highway between Tai’r Meibion and Abergwyngregyn (junction 12-13) has been closed or partially closed since Boxing Day last year prompting local politicians to demand that work on a £22 million flood prevention scheme must “start immediately”.

The Welsh Government says it wants to do that but can’t press ahead as it has only reached an agreement with one of four landowners.

A spokesman said: “The main part of this £22m scheme is due to start in the autumn of 2017 but we announced earlier this year that we have brought forward part of the scheme to begin this year, subject to agreement with landowners.

“The design work and procurement of contractors has been completed. To date agreement has been reached with one of the four landowners, and discussions are continuing with the remaining three.

“Once agreement is reached the advanced drainage scheme will begin.”

It was due to start this autumn and First Minister Carwyn Jones brought forward an extra £500,000 to allow it to happen.

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Dafydd Meurig, the Gwynedd County councillor for the area, urged all the parties to find a way forward: “I would urge the Welsh Government to try to resolve this with the landowners as soon as possible to allow this work to start.”

“I am very pleased that separate work, which has taken place has stopped the flooding at junction 11 (Llandygai/Bethesda) and junction 12 Roman Road (Tal-y-Bont).”

Arfon AM Sian Gwenllian said drainage work would have prevented last night’s flooding adding “further delays with implementing the necessary improvements are clearly unacceptable”.

She said: “I call on the Welsh Government to start work immediately on emergency flood prevention measures between J12 and J13 on the A55 - work that should have started by now.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson dismissed the impact of yesterday’s disruption on the A55: “The minor flooding yesterday evening, which required a single lane closure on the westbound carriageway and caused no significant delay to traffic, occurred between Junctions 13 and 12 of the A55 in the area due to be addressed by the separate Abergwyngregyn Tai’r Meibion scheme.”

As well as flooding on the A55 heavy rain and gale force winds caused disruption to the region’s wider road, rail and transport network.

Fallen trees blocked the A483, the A5 and minor roads in Gwynedd and Anglesey.

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service say they have received 49 flooding related calls.

Ferries services across the Irish Sea were cancelled and power supplies were disrupted in Bangor, Dolgellau, Abersoch and Aberystwyth.