English: Abandoned section of the A48. Once part of the trunk route from London to South Wales, this 500m section of the A48 has been handed back for farm use since the M4 opened (running just parallel) in the early 1990s. On the corner, two petrol stations, long since stripped of their pumps and kiosks now have trees growing through the tarmac where once impatient drivers would pull up to fill up.

The farmer told me that they were given the land when a similar sized tract of land was taken from them for the building of the M4. He also asked me to mention that despite being listed on all ordnance survey maps as such, there is absolutely NO right of way through this stretch any more. Apparently a footpath used to run down their lane and then under this road via a route taken by an abandoned railway. There's little evidence of the footpath today apart from an old staircase completely encased in vegetation (I'd have missed it if he hadn't shown it to me).

I have since confirmed that the map is incorrect by checking the council's definitive map - the public right of way to this location appears to have been revoked when the motorway was built and never reinstated.

Since this picture was taken, the area has undergone redevelopment and over half of this abandoned road is currently being converted into housing.