A cross-party group of Senedd members and Vale of Glamorgan councillors are backing a new campaign to stamp out excessive speeding in the village of East Aberthaw near Barry.

Politicians from across party lines met at the Blue Anchor pub on Wednesday 7th July to hear the concerns of more than 30 local residents, who said that speeding and dangerous driving have reached unbearable levels in the village. They warned that it was only a matter of time before somebody is killed or seriously injured.

The meeting came as the Welsh Government revealed details of its plan to reduce the national speed limit on residential roads from 30 miles per hour to 20. It would make Wales the first country in the UK to introduce the change, which is intended to prevent deaths and improve air quality.

The Vale of Glamorgan MS, Jane Hutt (Labour), acknowledged the specific problems in the village and pledged to work with the residents to alleviate them. Heledd Fychan MS for South Wales Central (Plaid Cymru) echoed Jane Hutt's sentiments and vowed to also support the villagers of East Aberthaw in their campaign. Fellow South Wales Central MS, Andrew RT Davies (Conservative), who is also the Councillor for Rhoose ward, said that the village needed a 20 mile per hour speed limit sooner rather than later, alongside proper speed enforcement. While Councillor Gordon Kemp (Conservative), also of Rhoose ward, referenced previous speeding campaigns in the village and the need for action to be taken this time.

Amongst the solutions mooted were traffic calming measures, a road crossing for the middle of the village and a pavement for Station Terrace, which currently doesn't have one and means that residents must walk on the road alongside traffic.

East Aberthaw resident, Bob Dickens, said: "Speeding and traffic through this village have increased exponentially over the past decade. The former big village of Rhoose is now a small town due to the expansion of Rhoose Point. More houses mean more people. And more people mean more traffic. That has led to this village being nothing more than a rat run between Rhoose and the B4265."

Representatives from South Wales Police attended the meeting and promised to gather data from speed monitoring exercises.

Friends of the Earth Barry and Vale were also in attendance and said that enforcing a 20 mile per hour speed limit would not only improve road safety and air pollution levels, but would also lead to greater levels of wellbeing within the village.