Newport's 'road to nowhere' fly-tipping blackspot near M4 cleared

Newport council hopes the 'road to nowhere' will become the 'road to nature' following the clear up

An infamous fly-tipping blackspot has been cleared of rubbish following years of campaigning.

The abandoned stretch of dual carriageway, off the A48 near Newport, had seen tonnes of waste illegally dumped over the years.

However campaigners said the problem worsened during lockdown when council tips were closed.

Newport council has now cleared the road as part of plans to clean up the city's streets.

The road was originally built as an access road to the former LG site at Coedkernew, but the stretch of road has been abandoned for many years and became known locally as "the road to nowhere".

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It attracted fly-tippers due to its proximity to the A48 and M4 with large amounts of rubble, wrecked furniture and hundreds of tyres among items dumped.

Two men from Cardiff men were fined at Newport Magistrates' Court last month, after being caught illegally dumping waste on the site, according to Newport council.

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The authority said it has issued a further five fixed penalty notices for fly-tipping and seized two vehicles involved in similar offences.

Enhanced security and CCTV will remain in place at the site while local community group, Friends of the Road to Nature, has adopted the land for future use.

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Deputy council leader Roger Jeavons said: "We know clean streets are a priority for the people of Newport and we share their frustration at seeing criminals illegally dump waste on our streets.

"This action reaffirms our commitment to keeping our streets clean.

"Along with our recent work to identify and prosecute fly-tippers, it shows that we will not tolerate these acts in our city.

"We also want the community to reclaim this space once it has been cleared. To that end, I'm delighted that the Friends of the Road to Nature group has already adopted the space.

"I look forward to seeing the plans for further improvements to the site."