A NEW campaign to get Cardigan’s Tesco junction re-opened is called for this week.

Cardigan Chamber of Commerce deputy chairman, Neal Jones, has asked Ceredigion council to help plan a strategy that will force the Welsh Assembly Government to take action.

In a letter to the Cabinet member with responsibility for highways, Cllr Ray Quant, who is chairman of the Cardigan Traffic Management Forum, Mr Jones calls for a "proper constructive meeting" of the Forum to get the matter resolved.

He told the Tivy-Side: "We need to call a new meeting, to get everyones heads together and challenge the transport Minister to actually do something about this by-pass junction. There has been no action on it for years. The delays have been far too long and Cardigan cannot wait any longer."

Cllr Quant admits he is "just as exasperated" with the apparent lack of progress on the junction. "The Tesco junction has proved to be a running sore," he said.

He adds that the latest news from the Welsh Assembly indicates that they are now "considering the draft feasibility" into possible options for fully opening the junction.

WAG has said "further investigation to complete the report is required" and this would include taking into consideration as appropriate additional traffic that may be generated by the Bath-house development at the trunk road junction.

"Once some safe options have been identified, consultations will be carried out with all the stakeholders," WAG has promised.

Cllr Quant and other local councillors met with the transport minister Ieuan Wynn Jones in November 2007.

"The minister told us he expected to give a decision within three months. That decision is now 12 months overdue, but this latest correspondence shows that the door is still open to have something positive done about reopening the Tesco junction, which I am sure is in the best interests for the community of Cardigan.

Mr Jones said: "We have to get together to take action on this now. The options have been identified long ago and the delays are far too long."