DELAYED works on two public bridges will see Newport City Council fine Network Rail £2,750 per day until they are completed.

Newport City Council has said it will fine the rail operator daily for failing to complete works on both Somerton and Cardiff Road rail bridges on time.

The fines will apply to working days only (Monday to Friday), clocking up a whopping £13,750 for each week both works are delayed.

Cardiff Road was due to re-open on Saturday, and Somerton Bridge yesterday.

The council said that inclement weather caused setbacks to the works in December 2015, but Network Rail failed to inform the local authority of resulting delays.

Under Section 74 of the New Roads and Street Works Act (1991) the council will now fine Network Rail a combined £2,750 per working day for both projects, a spokeswoman revealed.

Newport City Council’s cabinet member for environment, sustainability and transport, councillor Ray Truman, has described the delays as “unacceptable”.

“Network Rail is treating Newport with contempt if it thinks it can disregard agreements and ignore deadlines," he said.

“We have the power to fine Network Rail and we will do everything in our power to ensure we send a strong message to Network Rail that we won’t stand for this.”

The individual fines are based on road categorisation, with £2,000 per day for the Cardiff Road Bridge and £750 per day for the Somerton Road Bridge.

Both bridge closures were part of works to electrify the South Wales Mainline in preparation for the arrival of a new fleet of electric trains.

Since the works started, Newport traders and residents have spoken out against the road closures, traffic diversions and negative affects on business caused by the improvements.

A spokeswoman for Network Rail stated that extreme weather conditions, unforeseen road drainage conditions and vandalism to site equipment delayed operations on the site.

“We understand having Somerton Road closed for this amount of time is frustrating for road users and the local community but we are working to complete the work as quickly as possible,” she said

“Network Rail is a public funded body and we are committed to working with Newport Council in order to complete the remaining works as efficiently as possible."

Network Rail said it plans to open Somerton Road in “the coming weeks”, while the Cardiff Road bridge will feature a straighter road alignment and wider footpath for pedestrians, the spokeswoman added.

Road closures and diversions are still in place as the works continue.