SHOPPERS and rugby fans were caught up in more traffic problems in Newport on Saturday after a section of the roof on the Capone's pool hall in Clarence Place crashed onto the road during the high winds.

The road around the old building was closed while the roof was made safe, causing congestion.

Resident Susan Badham said: "We were woken by a large crashing sound, I thought it was something falling off a lorry. Half of the roof was lying in the road. It was lucky that nobody was passing by at the time."

Shoppers and rugby fans attending the match between Newport and Glasgow at Rodney Parade were caught up in the congestion caused by the road closure from mid-morning until early evening while wreckage was cleared and the area made safe.

The closure of the Town Bridge in addition to restrictions already in place on the George Street Bridge meant that traffic entering Newport was severely delayed.

Newport Council have taken responsibility for the continued safety of the building. The Rack 'n' Roll Snooker Bar, part of the same building as Capone's, was forced to close at 2pm on Saturday but on Sunday was open for business as usual.

The next-door pub, The Ivy Bush, remained open, but complained of a lack of passing trade due to the accident . Both were open as normal yesterday.

*PICTURED: Susan Badham, who lives opposite Capone's pool hall in Newport, which had part of its roof blown off.