Villagers on the western edge of Newport have called on the city council to move beyond temporary fixes and carry out wider road resurfacing after pothole repairs in the St Brides and Peterstone area failed to last.
Local petition highlights safety and damage concerns
Wentlooge Community Council has led a petition to the authority describing “severe potholes and dangerously degraded road surfaces” across the locality. The council told Newport’s overview and scrutiny management committee on 3 September that residents are facing widespread carriageway deterioration which is increasingly affecting day-to-day travel.
Community councillor Sean Rafferty said narrow rural roads in the area force drivers to move towards the carriageway edge, creating risks to road safety. He told the committee that the volume and speed of deterioration suggest the problem is deeper than the surface-level pothole repairs that have been carried out.
"We recognise and appreciate the repairs Newport City Council has carried out, but residents are frustrated that many have failed again within a short time."
The petition drew substantial backing from the community, with more than 900 names added online and over 300 on paper copies, the council said. Members of the scrutiny committee expressed sympathy with residents’ concerns and agreed the matter should be escalated for further consideration.
Why temporary repairs are not enough, residents say
Cllr Rafferty told councillors the number and recurrence of faults “suggests the underlying condition of the road network needs to be addressed.” The community council’s clerk, Nikki Malpas, said patching material on recently repaired sections had been coming out after lorries passed over them. She added some parts of the network had “completely degraded” and that residents had received what she described as “very generic replies” from the authority when they reported problems.
Specific local roads were highlighted. Cllr Rafferty said the B4239, which runs through the area, “is not suitable for HGVs” and argued that heavy goods vehicles should be using the A48 instead. The presence of HGVs on the smaller roads was said to be accelerating deterioration and, in some cases, creating a risk that vehicles could become stuck in verges as drivers try to avoid potholes.
- Petition signatures: 900+ online, 300+ on paper
- Committee action: concerns to be escalated to the city council’s head of infrastructure
- Local roads cited: B4239 (unsuitable for HGVs), A48 referenced as preferred route
Council response and next steps
Members of the overview and scrutiny management committee, which heard the petition, acknowledged the issue. Cllr John Reynolds described potholes and road condition as “obviously something that’s a hot topic.” Committee members agreed to escalate the petitioners’ concerns to the council’s head of infrastructure for further consideration and possible action.
For residents, the request is not simply for more patching but for durable solutions that address the structural condition of the roads so future repairs endure. The community council emphasised that without such work, repeated failures will continue to affect safety, vehicle damage and everyday access around St Brides and Peterstone.
| Issue | Detail |
|---|---|
| Petition signatures | 900+ online; 300+ paper |
| Committee hearing | Overview and scrutiny management committee, 3 September |
| Escalation | Referred to city council head of infrastructure |
Residents in the area now await a response from the council’s infrastructure lead on whether a wider resurfacing programme will be scheduled and how the authority intends to prevent repeat failures. For many locals, durable repairs are not just a matter of convenience but of safety on the narrow lanes that knit together Newport’s rural communities.
