CONGESTION at Newport’s Brynglas Tunnels is costing motorists £31million in lost time, with almost 1,500 traffic jams in the space of a year.

Figures supplied by the traffic data firm Inrix suggest that there were on average four traffic jams per day between April 1, 2016 and April 31, 2017 – 1,477 in total.

The stretch of motorway, running between junction 25 and 26, is also the fourth most congested in the UK, behind three separate locations on the M25.

“INRIX data shows Brynglas Tunnels to be one of the worst traffic hotspots in the UK, with congesting here costing drivers £31 million in lost time annually,” said Dr Graham Cookson, the chief economist of INRIX.

“Congestion costs the Welsh economy billions, hampers business efficiency, and wastes drivers’ time and money.”

The data was published in November 2016, but due to Newport’s relative size to other UK cities, it was not included in the initial report.

However, when calculated against the data, the Brynglas Tunnels would be among the top 10 of the worst 20,000 traffic hotspots in the UK and the top 50 of the 45,000 in Europe - ceteris paribus.

The figures also found that the average distance of the traffic jams around the Brynglas Tunnels was 4.1miles and an average duration of 57 minutes.

“Despite these issues, congestion is in fact a good problem to have as it’s a strong indicator of prosperity and economic growth,” added Dr Cookson.

“However, in order to resolve these issues we must find a solution before the negative effects of traffic detract from the positive causes.”

The tunnels, the first on a UK motorway, were completed in May 1967, and are celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2017.

An initial measure to cut travel times and traffic, Dr Cookson added that the plans behind the proposed £1billion M4 Relief Road could help to reduce the congestion between junctions 25 and 26.

“Unfortunately for those using the Brynglas Tunnels, the geography of the area and the construction of the tunnel means congestion here is difficult to tackle.

“Hopefully, the M4 Relief Road plans will reduce both the frequency and the length of the queues at this traffic hotspot,” added Dr Cookson.

The two longest recorded traffic jams on the M4 were 14.52miles on October 3 on the eastbound section, after a lorry broke down with car tailing back to junction 23A.

Meanwhile, on the westbound side, the longest jam in terms of duration was an 8.4mile queue between the hours of 10am and 6pm on October 24.