Shop keepers who fought against the controversial closure of their main street have reached a compromise.

Retailers in Abergavenny staged a series of protests earlier this year against Monmouthshire council's decision to shut Cross Street to traffic.

They said it was harming business and eventually the street was re-opened while talks about its future continued.

Now the group have finally agreed to the closure of Cross Street - but only on special occasions.

The town's Chamber of Trade and Commerce will draw up a list of events for the council.

Business people in the town agreed to shut the road for a number of high profile occasions. They include:

* The annual Abergavenny Food Festival. This attracts more than 20,000 visitors.

* The May Day Toy Fair.

John Bannon, who owns Jay Bee's soft furnishings shop, told the Argus: "We want to make Abergavenny bright and attractive to visitors. It makes good sense to allow the street to close when necessary.

"The council should be reactive to events, but we need a review period at least every six months to give everyone the opportunity to say whether it works or not."

A row erupted after Monmouthshire council wanted to close Cross Street between Easter and September, claiming it would make the town centre safer and more pleasant for shoppers and tourists.

The Bryn y Cwm area committee decided two years ago to stop the flow of traffic between 11am and 4pm every day, but it was only implemented last December.

After complaints from town traders, the street was re-opened the week before Christmas but the barriers were reinstated in January.

This sparked a series of protests.

Councillor Giles Howard, cabinet member for highways, said: "The new proposals from the traders sound like an excellent idea. I do believe we need to close the street to traffic on special occasions in order to attract more people to the area."

Traders will now put their proposals forward to the county council, but a permanent decision on the future of Cross Street is not expected until after the county council elections in June.