Householders in Maidenwells, near Pembroke, have been under siege from heavy traffic for as long as they can remember.

But that all looks like coming to an end following the announcement of plans for a long-awaited bypass of the village.

The decision to provide an alternative route to the major energy sites on the south shore of the Haven was made by county council cabinet members on Monday.

“It is of vital economic performance that we have good connections to these sites,” said council deputy leader Councillor John Allen-Mirehouse.

Leader, Councillor John Davies, said the chosen route — one of four options investigated — was the most practical.

“There are too many schemes sitting on shelves across Wales because they are undeliverable,” he said, adding that the new road would provide some welcome relief to the residents of Maidenwells.

A planning application is expected to be submitted in September this year, with work likely to begin in September or October 2012 and due for completion in autumn 2013.