CWMBRAN Stadium’s grandstand will be closed for the forseeable future after council officials revealed they cannot afford a £110,000 repair bill.

The cabinet member for regeneration at Torfaen council, Richard Clark, said officers at the council had inspected railings at the front of the grandstand and advised him that it is not safe to use the stand at all in its present condition.

Crush tests revealed there has been a significant failure of the barrier.

Cllr Clark said: "Officers of the council responsible for the protection of the public have inspected the railings and have advised that in their opinion it is not safe to use.

“This does not correspond to a discrete area of the stand so the areas affected cannot be cordoned off.

“The risks to the council if the stand remains in use and someone were to be injured would be considerable since any accident could have serious consequences, due to the height of the front edge of the grandstand from the ground.”

The cost of repairing the railings has been estimated at a minimum of £110,000 and the council say they cannot currently afford to fix the problem.

Cllr Clark said the council faced many pressures on its budget and any funding had to be evaluated in this context.

“The current position is, therefore, that there are no plans to bring the grandstand back into use for the foreseeable future, but the situation will be reviewed if and when the council's overall financial position improves,” Mr Clark said.

The news has angered some supporters of Cwmbran Town AFC who play their home games at the stadium.

Liam Williams, 16, from Oakfield, Cwmbran, has supported the club for four years.

He said: “I am very disappointed by the council’s decision. I go to every home game and the atmosphere is not the same when the grandstand is not in use.

“The railings are right at the front of the grandstand, so I just can’t see why the whole stand needs to be closed.”

Around 2,500 people attending last night’s (Wednesday) Cwmbran Firework Display at the venue had to watch the event from standing areas around the ground.