DRIVERS have been warned to plan ahead and expect delays this week starting from today due to abnormal loads travelling to a controversial wind farm site just over the Herefordshire border.

Delays are expected between Llanymynech and Cefnllys, near Crossgates, when the abnormal loads will be transported to Hendy Wind Farm.

The Radnorshire wind farm, which was subject to a long planning battle, hit the headlines in 2019 when a video emerged of a protester falling in front of a lorry near the site.

Video footage showed the moment the campaigner managed to get up in the nick of time to avoid potentially fatal injuries.

Former Conservative MP Neil Hamilton and his wife Christine were among those protesting against the new wind farm being built at Llandegley in January that year.

Mr Hamilton,Assembly Member for Mid Wales, told the Hereford Times the campaigners had taken up positions on a track which crosses common land.

"We have a right to walk on that track, and the security guards were far too heavy handed," he added.

The incident took place at the Hendy Wind Farm site to the west of Old Radnor, where planning permission to erect seven wind turbines was eventually approved by the Welsh government in October 2018 despite an initial rejection from Powys County Council and an independent Planning Inspector.

But opposition to the turbines had not diminished, with protestors moved to action when developers and lorries appeared on the site, claiming the developers had started work on the turbines without a number of conditions being discharged.

Mr Hamilton, who accused developers of starting work "in indecent haste" to take advantage of available subsidies, said: "The developers are busting a gut to get the first turbine up. They are rushing to finish."

But now development is well underway, with loads set to make the journey from Ellesmere Port at 9.30am then along the A483 to Newtown Bypass at 2.05pm, the A470 in Llangurig at 3.05pm and towards the A44 at Crossgates at 4.30pm.

The abnormal load movements are also planned to take place on Wednesday (September 1), Thursday (September 2) and Friday (September 3).

Traffic Wales has asked motorists to “plan ahead and expect delays”.