M4: Drivers speeding on camera at Newport escape prosecution

There are several junctions on the stretch of the M4 through Newport

Drivers caught breaking the limit on 50mph speed cameras at an M4 congestion hotspot are escaping prosecution.

The 50mph speed cameras between junctions 24 and 28 around Newport have been live since last year in one of the UK's busiest traffic hotspots.

Prosecution notices were due to be sent out from last summer in the area, where a relief road was once planned.

The cameras are working, but "resource issues" are preventing prosecution notices, said the Welsh government.

Three 50mph areas should be enforced across south Wales, but only two are.

However, it has now decided to stop issuing advisory letters to drivers and "fully enforce" new 50mph limits on all other roads where they are in place.

They are:

• The A494 between the Wales/England border and St David's Interchange at Ewloe in Flintshire

• The A483 between junctions 5 and 6 at Wrexham

• The A470 between Upper Boat and Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf

• The M4 between junctions 41 and 42 at Port Talbot.

"Full enforcement" will now take place on the A494 between Ewloe and the border with England

A Welsh government spokesperson said: "Advisory notices were brought in as a temporary measure whilst the new environmental 50mph speed limit bedded in."

"These notices will stop with immediate effect in all areas and full enforcement will take place as appropriate."

Two parts of north-east Wales have the enforced limits

The average speed limit of 50mph was introduced to tackle congestion on the M4 around Newport following the recommendation of the commission set up after First Minister Mark Drakeford's controversial decision to scrap the relief road.

The commission's report said the M4 near Newport was the fourth most congested stretch of urban motorway in the UK and ranked in the top 50 hotspots in Europe.

It found the motorway struggled to provide reliable travel for more than 3,000 to 4,000 vehicles per hour - at peak times, traffic approaching the tunnels was about 4,000 to 5,000 vehicles per hour.

The Welsh government spokesperson said "the average speed cameras between junctions 24 to 28 of the M4 are operational although GoSafe, on behalf of the Welsh government, is not yet issuing Notices of Intended Prosecution due to resource issues."

"The Welsh government is continuing to work with GoSafe on these issues and it is anticipated that enforcement will commence shortly."

When the government announced the cameras would go live in March last year it said, "this work shows this government's commitment to tackling congestion in the region. We are doing this in the context of the climate emergency and our clear objective of reducing emissions from the transport sector."

A 50mph zone is in place on the M4 through Port Talbot

A spokesman for GoSafe said: "Due to the advent of digital technology and the demands upon IT departments to install several camera types we have reached a point where significant development and investment in systems is required before we can make these schemes live and absorb the extra demand which will arise as part of these schemes.

"To that end we have approved additional resourcing in the IT staff team to assist with the backlog of development work to bring all schemes online.

"To date our recruitment attempts have been unsuccessful and have meant that we are unable to secure the staff to deliver the IT solutions required. I offer assurance that we have dedicated resources working diligently on this matter to ensure that we continue to make progress towards our enforcement goals."