HIGHWAYS England has abandoned its plans for roadworks at M48 Junction 2 which caused three days of mayhem in and around Chepstow.

Queues of morning commuters had to contend with traffic lights at the Junction 2 roundabout, causing a domino effect of congestion through the town centre, as far back as Sedbury.

Highways England said the roadworks were in place as part of a project to decommission the tolls on the M48 Severn Bridge.

Some locals called it the worst congestion they could remember.

But yesterday (Wednesday), Highways England said it had "listened to the concerns raised" and decided to dismantle the works.

The transport firm took to Twitter to apologise for the disruption caused.

The work on the M48 bridge would instead be completed on weekends, the firm added.

"After significant delays in the Chepstow area yesterday and today, we've listened to the concerns raised and reviewed our approach to the [Severn Bridge] toll decommissioning work on the M48," Highways England said on Wednesday on social media.

"The east carriageway will close tonight to remove the works & reopen by 6am [Thursday].

"We will carry out the decommissioning work during weekends which will require a full closure of the M48 Severn Crossing.

"We will confirm the dates in advance so that drivers can plan their journeys accordingly.

"We would like to apologise again to drivers for the disruption and inconvenience caused, and to reassure drivers that we have listened to their feedback and taken action to minimise the impact of this crucial work."