Traffic incident closes part of A494 closed near Corwen

Facebook post by North Wales around 3.20pm today ...

County council says it's ready to cope with severe weather

A yellow weather warning has been issued by the Met Office for Denbighshire covering the period between 6am this Friday and 6am on Saturday.

Denbighshire County Council says it has resources on standby throughout the warning period to respond to any weather-related incidents should they arise.

A statement issued this morning adds: "Further updates will be provided if deemed necessary.

"Please report any issues to our Customer Service Team between 8:30am – 5pm Monday to Friday, by:

1) email to customerservice@denbighshire.gov.uk

2) telephone 01824 706000

3) visit in person a One Stop Shop.

4) use an online web form, available on Denbighshire’s website:

www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/online-forms/online-forms.aspx

"In the event of any emergency situation requiring an immediate response, contact should be made directly via the out of hours contact centre between 5pm – 8:30am including weekends on 0300 123 3068."

New Audi A6 is handsome nose to tail, including the clock

Audi A6 e hybrid drive by Steve Rogers

This is the story about a search for a clock.

It goes like this. We are sitting in the A6 admiring the new dashboard which is impressive with screens stretching end to end although we think the passenger screen is just for show. It has a soothing pattern made up of large chequered squares. A nice touch and perfect as a TV screen.

Casting an eye over the driver’s display I spot a tiny digital clock tucked in the top left corner and moan about how pathetic it is for a car of this class.

My wife says there must be a proper clock in the main touchscreen so we trawl the menus. No luck. Then she touches her screen and, as if by magic, it lights up with an elegant clock, computer generated of course, but at least it has a round face.

There is a lot more to the screen than just a clock. It mirrors the central screen with a side bar of icons so the passenger can carry out just about every function, including setting a destination. How clever is that, and something I have never seen before.

Enough of the clock, the main event is the spanking new A6 plug-in hybrid. In a world dominated by SUVs it’s good to see Audi still championing the premium saloon, something it has always done well.

This is no facelift; new body with an all time low drag co-efficient of 0.23, new technology, more power, more miles on electric.

It’s handsome from nose to tail, the coupe style roofline trailing down to a curvaceous

rear that reminded me of the stunning first A6 of 1998.

Audi has been busy updating the bits you can’t see. Compared to the previous model battery power has been boosted by 45 per cent giving an electric only range of up to 64 miles depending on the model and can run well past our speed limit at 87mph. It recovers some energy automatically while coasting.

Performance is pretty ferocious with the 2-litre petrol knocking out a whopping 450Nm or torque so no worries if you need a quick overtake. What surprised me most was the economy. On a petrol only long run I crept past 50mpg while my week’s average was 44mpg. Impressive figures for such a fast car.

For a car weighing just over two tonnes A6 is remarkably agile, quattro drive helps but a new element is all wheel steer. Very hard to detect but up to 37mph the rear wheels turn very slightly in the opposite direction to the front wheels and at higher speeds in the same direction as the front. Whether I could sense this steering gizmo or not, the car’s agility and stability through twists is top notch. This is a car you can really enjoy driving.

Now to the wow factor that is the A6 cabin and a bit of a shift in my view of touchscreens. Something often top of my complaints list, and in Audi’s case because they ditched the excellent rotary controller that avoided dabbing the touchscreen.

Here the main screen is simply laid out and requires a definite push on an icon rather than a touch and the reward is a satisfying click assuring you the job is done. I would still prefer a rotary controller but maybe it is time to move on.

It is hard to keep your eyes off this new three screen layout and it gets better at night when you are treated to a soothing lightshow with 84 LEDs extending in an arc from pillar to pillar. A novel touch is a flashing strip in each corner when indicating.

Also worth a mention is a stonking Bang & Olufsen 20 speaker system banging out 810 watts of sound if your ears can cope with it. You will have to pay extra for the privilege.

The A6 has always been a roomy car and gets a little more thanks to an extra 60mm in length. There is room in the back to stretch out and passengers get a screen for individual heating settings.

Although it is a saloon the back seats drop down in a 40-20-40 split, handy for sliding a set of skis from the boot which is the only area I could find to fault. With the coupe style body the boot aperture is very shallow and failed to take a golf trolley. What a shocker!

PS: We never managed to bring that nice clock to the main screen but think it must be there somewhere…

Fast facts

A6 e-hybrid Launch Edition

£70,455 (starts £60,980)

2-litre petrol; 294bhp

7-speed S tronic

0-62mph 6secs; 155mph

Electric range: 60 miles

Charging time: 2.5 hours

39.2mpg-42.5mpg with battery discharged

50-57g/km. 1st tax £110-£130

Insurance group: 41

Railway successfully completes tunnel safety exercise

* Platform one at Llangollen station before the exercise began.

Llangollen and Corwen Railway has successfully completed a major emergency evacuation exercise inside the historic Berwyn Tunnel - the longest single-bore tunnel on a UK heritage railway - in partnership with the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service last night (Tuesday).

More than 90 volunteers from the Llangollen community, including members of the public and the railway’s own volunteers, took part in the exercise. 

They were joined by multiple fire crews from the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service and operational staff from the railway.

The scenario simulated a realistic emergency - a passenger train travelling from Llangollen to Corwen experienced smoke and the smell of burning from beneath a coach floor while fully inside the tunnel. 

As the situation developed, the guard declared an emergency, passengers were safely evacuated to an assembly point, and a rescue locomotive was deployed to recover the train.

Conducted in heavy rain and challenging night-time conditions, the live exercise tested every aspect of coordination, communication, and response between the railway’s operational teams, local volunteers, patience and the emergency services.

Mike Williams, from the Llangollen and Corwen Railway, who was in charge of the operation, said: “This was as close to a real-life incident as we could make it: smoke, noise, the lot. 

"Despite the weather and the complexity of the scenario, every volunteer and professional worked brilliantly. Safety is the number one priority for everyone at the Llangollen and Corwen Railway, and this exercise proved just how skilled and committed our teams are.

“I want to thank every single volunteer who gave up their time to make this exercise possible - both our incredible railway family and the members of the local community who joined us to play passengers. Their enthusiasm, cooperation and good humour on a cold, wet night were amazing. They showed exactly what makes this area and this railway so special.”

Arron Jones, from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Exercises like this are invaluable. They allow our crews to test their response in realistic conditions and strengthen our partnership with organisations like the Llangollen and Corwen Railway. The professionalism of everyone involved - from the train crews and control staff to the volunteers and community participants - was outstanding.

“This was a complex and challenging environment, but the teamwork we saw between our firefighters and the railway’s operational teams was first class. The lessons learned from this exercise will make both our organisations even stronger and better prepared for the future.”

The exercise, which ran into the night, was completed safely and successfully, with all objectives achieved and valuable experience gained for both the railway and emergency services.

The Berwyn Tunnel evacuation marks another important step in the Llangollen and Corwen Railway Trust and the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service’s ongoing commitment to safety, training, and operational excellence, ensuring that the railway continues to lead the way in heritage rail standards while remaining an active and valued part of the local community.

* Mike Williams leads the operations beside scores of volunteers. Spot Llangollen town crier Chem on the left.

* The evacuation of Berwyn Tunnel gets underway.

* Firefighters start to clear the tunnel.

Twenty Club have another Blackadder hit on their hands

* General Melchett (John Clifford) chats to Blackadder (Mat Oswald-Haggett) in the dugout.

A platoon of masterful performances command Llangollen Twenty Club's latest Blackadder production which opens for a five-show run at the Town Hall this evening (Wednesday).

They last tackled a multi-play set of the same hit TV comedy by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton featuring Blackadder in the trenches some years back. 

They made an excellent job of it then but I reckon what is by and large the same core group of actors, assisted by some very useful newer performers, do even better this time round.

It's the same basic idea as always, with the notorious shirker Blackadder doing his best across four short plays with different themes to have a quiet but rather enjoyable life while striving to avoid the little inconvenience of being a frontline First World War infantry captain in 1917.

Alongside him to get him into and out of equal doses of impossible trouble are a band of cerebrally-challenged cronies. The result is pure comedic heaven of a sort seldom seen anywhere these days.

Our hero is played once again by Mat Oswald-Haggett who turns him into a seething cauldron of tart sarcasm spitting out his marvellous venom with the rapidity of a machine gun.

Back to set Blackadder's teeth on edge is John Clifford as the bumbling, buffoonish General Melchett who is so gloriously daft that he misreads the back of a wrongly-turned-over map as a featureless desert.

And deliciously stupid yet powerfully loveable as Lieutenant the Hon George Colthurst St Barleigh is Si Kneale.

Kevin Williams is so stinkingly good as Blackadder's smelly and eternally put-upon sidekick Baldrick that he deserves his own spin-off show.

New to the club is George Williams who is extremely good as the snidey Captain Darling. So good, in fact, that we're bound to see him again very soon.

Last time he was a posh airman in the club's 'Allo 'Allo. This time Ed Roscoe has swapped world wars to become the wonderfully overbearing fighter pilot Lord Flashheart who delivers more non-woke one-liners and gestures than a cancelled stand-up comedian.

And if you thought Bev Maier was good as Alice Tinker in the club's Vicar of Dibley you're not going to be disappointed with her as the cloyingly innocent yet cheeky Private Bob in this one.

Tracey Kempster-Jones nips across from the Operatic to comfortably don the uniform and persona of Nurse Mary, Jack Shimmin is an overbearing Baron von Richtoven and Luke Myers perfectly handles the dual role of Lieutenant von Gerhardt/Field Marshall Haig.    

But look out for the poignant closing scene which illustrates that war isn't all fun.

Naomi Riley comes the other side of the footlights to direct the piece with aplomb, reinforced by Helen Belton as producer and Chrissie Ashworth as director's mentor.

The backstage battalion have done a particularly good job on every aspect of the production's World War One setting which is quite simply brilliant.   

Blackadder Goes Forth is on from tonight (Wednesday) until Saturday, November 12/15 with a matinee.

* Tickets are available at: www.ticketsource.co.uk/llangollentwentyclub

* Lord Flashheart makes an appearance.

* The general with Captain Darling (George Williams).

* A coy conversation between Ltd George (Si Kneale) and Private Bob (Bev Maier).

* Lt George in drag with Private Baldrick (Kevin Williams).

Cycling lads hit 100k on Tiktok and have Black Sea in their sights

* The lads hit 100,000 followers on Tiktok as they head on through Turkey.

On day 97 of their epic road trip to Thailand the three Llangollen area lads learned the joyous news that they had just reached 100,000 followers on Tiktok.

People over a wide area are with them every kilometre of the way as Dyfan Hughes, 17, James Thomas, 18, and Louis Dennis, 18, plough ever onwards on their 18-month challenge to reach Asia this summer.

Once there they aim to meet up with their friend Harrison who moved to Thailand six months ago after his dad died from a heart attack and to raise money for heart research. 

Just as they were when we last looked in on them the lads were still suffering from heavy colds as they headed deeper into rural Turkey but began to shake off the worst effects as the sun came out a little.

They commented how much like this part of Turkey looked like north America, with its wide open spaces and, at one stage, noted that there was just 250 kms left to go before they reached the shores of the Black Sea - another major milestone in their quest to get as far east as possible. 

* To follow the journey on their social media and make a donation if you wish, go to: https://linktr.ee/westheads

Final push for public to give feedback on National Park plan

With less than a month to go until the statutory consultation closes, people are being encouraged to attend an event and submit their response to the proposed Glyndŵr National Park. 

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) have been running a 12-week statutory consultation since Monday September 15 2025 on a final map and supporting evidence.

The final face-to-face consultation session is at Llangollen Town Hall on Tuesday November 18, from 4-7pm.

The statutory consultation follows two years of detailed evaluation commissioned by Welsh Government, including data gathering, technical assessments, and engagement with communities and stakeholders across the region. Previous public engagement in 2023 and a public consultation in 2024 have helped shape the current proposal. 

Ash Pearce, Programme Manager said: “This is an exceptionally rare opportunity to influence the long-term protection of this special landscape, balancing the needs of local communities, visitors, and the environment. Please share your thoughts by submitting a response form before the consultation closes.”

* The proposed Glyndŵr National Park map can be downloaded at: NPP_001b_ProposedBoundary_A0P6mm_Margin_NEW Once downloaded, open with Adobe Acrobat. 

The remaining consultation events are as follows:

Date	Time	Location	Targeted audience	Type of event
Tuesday 18 November	4pm – 7pm	Llangollen Town Hall	Public	Drop-in
Wednesday 19 November	6pm – 7.30pm	Microsoft Teams	Public	Meeting
Wednesday 26 November	3pm – 4.30pm	Microsoft Teams	Environmental Groups	Meeting
Thursday 27 November	3pm – 4.30pm	Microsoft Teams	Tourism, Recreation and Access	Meeting
Tuesday 2 December	6pm – 7.30pm	Microsoft Teams	Public	Meeting

The main way to respond to the consultation is by submitting a responses form. To do so, visit: https://ymgynghori.cyfoethnaturiol.cymru/north-east-gogledd-ddwyrain/proposed-national-park-statutory-consultation-2025

All responses must be received no later than 23:59 on Monday December 8 2025.

* For more information on the background to the proposal, visit: https://ymgynghori.cyfoethnaturiol.cymru/north-east-gogledd-ddwyrain/new-national-park-proposal-information-page-wales/