Councillors warn extra safety measures must be urgently installed on Welsh road

Nicholas Thomas, Local Democracy Reporter

Councillors have warned extra safety measures must be installed on a road as a matter of urgency, after the latest crash left a car upside down at the roadside.

Campaigners continue to sound the alarm over the B4251, north of Ynysddu, where in recent years two young drivers have left the road and plunged into the River Sirhowy – with one tragically losing her life.

Critics have branded the current roadside fence as “weak”, but based on the findings of an independent road safety review, Caerphilly County Borough Council stopped short of installing a crash barrier.

The council said it recognises the “strength of feeling” around road safety on the Bends and will await the findings of a police investigation into the recent crash.

That incident, on the morning of Friday March 13, involved a single car which came to rest on its roof.

The emergency services attended, and a Gwent Police spokesperson said no life-threatening injuries were reported.

Ynysddu ward councillors Jan Jones and Janine Reed said the smash is yet further evidence that road safety must be improved further on the Bends.

Cllr Jones said she believed “the only thing that stopped this car from entering the River Sirhowy – which was in full flood from the previous night’s heavy rain – was a lamppost”.

She added: “If the lamppost was not there to stop the car, it would have entered the river, which was a few yards beyond [it].”

In January, Cllrs Jones and Reed, alongside Cllr Kevin Etheridge – who grew up in the area – said the council “must act now” to prevent further serious incidents on the B4251.

Their pleas followed a crash in the early hours of Sunday December 7, when a teenage driver’s car left the road, plunging into the river below.

The teenager suffered serious injuries in the crash and was pulled from the wreckage by her father and a police officer. She later wrote to the council’s chief executive to complain about the road’s safety measures.

“The dangers of this road have been known for years”, she wrote, adding that “despite this long history of serious and repeated incidents, the council has failed to install proper crash barriers or address the drainage issues that make this road extremely hazardous in wet conditions”.

Her crash in December bore several similarities – a young driver, late at night, leaving the road and entering the river – to the incident which tragically claimed the life of nurse Laurie Jones on the B4251 in 2019.

Laurie’s family has pushed hard for stronger safety measures on the Bends, leading to the council’s independent review.

Some improvements made

But while the local authority eventually agreed to make some improvements such as better road markings, speed signs and bend marker posts, they did not back the “disappointed” family’s calls for a new barrier and better street lighting.

In the wake of last December’s crash, the council said its officers would “revisit the previous surveys, inspections and assessments to ensure that all relevant information is fully considered and that any conclusions are based on a comprehensive and factual understanding of the circumstances”.

Following this month’s incident, a council spokesperson added: “Road safety remains a key priority for the council, and we recognise the strength of feeling expressed in relation to this location.

“This section of road has already been subject to detailed assessments, alongside an independent external review.

“In light of the most recent incident, we are unable to comment further at this stage and will await the findings of Gwent Police regarding the cause of the accident.”