HEREFORDSHIRE Council's leader says a city bypass is not a solution for the county.

Council chief David Hitchiner fears a Hereford bypass would attract more traffic and have a serious impact on villages along the length of the A49 between Ross-on-Wye and Shrewsbury.

The Herefordshire Independents councillor for Stoney Street expressed his concerns in an exclusive interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

He said the contentious western road scheme was not the reason he stood for election.

"I genuinely did not have a particular view on the bypass," he said.

"As far as I was concerned, the jury was out.

"But then I spoke to someone who said the Welsh Government was very keen on supporting the western road.

"They saw it as a great opportunity to shorten the distance from South Wales to Shrewsbury and the M5.

"So I thought, does that mean we are going to end up with loads of lorries coming up the A49?

"Can all these villages between Ross and Shrewsbury cope with all this extra traffic?

"Can Dinmore Hill cope with these lorries?

"I’d have a concern something like that is going to seriously impact the environment.

"A bypass is not a solution.Very often it attracts traffic.

"It becomes busier and then you have to do more further down the line."

Coun Hitchiner stressed that no decision has yet been made on the plans.

"We haven't got enough time to evaluate everything and jump quickly. We need to make sure we make the right decision."

An update on the council's road schemes, such as the proposed bypass, is expected to be given at a cabinet meeting at 6.30pm on July 25 at Shirehall.