Senedd members have attacked the Welsh Government's slow response to the closure of Holyhead Port.

The Welsh Government told the Senedd's economic committee that trade through the port had fallen by almost half-a-billion pounds compared to the year before.

A new report, published by the committee on Thursday, is critical of their response to the closure last December in the wake of Storm Darragh.

The cross-party group of MSs said they were dismayed by the "lack of speed and urgency" from ministers in responding to the closure of the busiest port in Wales, which lasted for forty days.

They're calling on the Welsh Government to carry out their own "lessons learned" review to be prepared in the future.

The committee's chairman, Andrew RT Davies, said: "Holyhead is the UK's second busiest ferry port and last December's storm damage, after more than a month of closure, seriously affected some local businesses. We heard of some firms reporting losses of tens of thousands of pounds."

"We are very disappointed by the lack of speed and urgency in the Welsh Government's response to the closure of a crucial European trade route."

"We have seen limited evidence that the Welsh Government has adequately addressed the issues caused by the closure. It is local action and cooperation between ports that prevented Holyhead's closure from being even worse for Welsh trade and the wider economy."

The committee's inquiry found it was unclear which minister was responsible for the Welsh Government's response to the port closure - including organisations who were involved in the recovery effort.

The report says the confusion "may have exacerbated problems" and calls on the government to agree on a ministerial lead to oversee and be held accountable.

It also highlights "a lack of urgency" in responding to requests for support to affected businesses and limited understanding on how the closure affected the local workforce.

The release of the findings saw the leader of Anglesey Council, Gary Pritchard, call for local businesses affected by the closure to get financial support 'now'.

He said: "Many businesses are reliant on the footfall ferry traffic creates and some reported that trade was down 90%. Others incurred loses of tens of thousands of pounds and a fear still exists that less confidence in the viability and resilience of the port."

"These businesses have waited long enough for financial support and we will be asking the Welsh Government for funding in light of the important evidence gathered."

The committee calls for ministers to better understand the impact on workers and businesses for similar incidents and to "urgently decide" what financial and other support is available for those affected by any port closures.

The report also highlights a "lack of attention" to ports and freight over recent years and concerns that it could lead to trade being diverted elsewhere.

Three years ago, the same committee launched a report which provided recommendations on freight issues, such as how to address HGV driver shortages and related issues involving the supply chain.

They call on the Welsh Government to speed up its work on implementing its recommendations and bring forward a maritime and ports strategy and freight plan as a matter of urgency.

Andrew RT Davies added: "It is clear that the Welsh Government's response was not acceptable – it was too slow to act and uncoordinated. Many people were left in the dark because communications were not good enough - this must not happen again."

"Ports and freight are vital to our economy and the Welsh Government has ignored these areas for too long. We were promised new policies by last December but this has now been kicked into the long grass until next year – this is not good enough, we need action now."

Last week, the Welsh and Irish governments met in Gaerwen for the first meeting of their Irish Sea taskforce aimed at improving connections between the two nations.

The committee said it would be watching closely to see if the task force ensures it understands the cause of what happened at Holyhead and the port's future safety.

It also called for improved facilities for drivers through Holyhead and transport links as a whole, as well as a "strong contingency plan" for any future closure at Holyhead or other Welsh ports.

The Welsh Government will now be asked to respond to the committee's report.