Storm-hit port closed until at least 15 January

One of Britain's busiest ports will remain closed until 15 January at the earliest after it was damaged by Storm Darragh, it has been announced.

Holyhead on Anglesey was originally due to reopen on 20 December, but the port said Terminal 3 and Terminal 5 ferry berths will need to remain closed to prioritise safety.

The prolonged closure follows two incidents affecting the Terminal 3 berth on 6 and 7 December, resulting in part of the structure collapsing, which the port said made it unusable.

The port has apologised for the disruption on the main sea route between north Wales and Dublin in ireland, but said it was still assessing the full extent of the damage.

It follows uncertainty as to whether the port would reopen before Christmas, and the Irish prime minister Taoiseach Simon Harris said on Monday it was "highly unlikely".

However, the Welsh government had said on Monday that it remained hopeful it would open by this Friday.

Four daily ferry sailings travel each way between Holyhead and Dublin, operated by Stena Line and Irish Ferries.

On average, two million passengers use Holyhead a year and about 1,200 lorries and trailers make the crossing every day.

The closure had already led Ireland's national postal service to abandon plans to use Holyhead for Christmas deliveries.

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