20mph: Mark Drakeford clear as mud on enforcement - top Tory

The new speed limit in built-up areas was introduced in September but began being enforced this week

Mark Drakeford is being "clear as mud" about how Wales' new 20mph speed limit will be enforced, the Conservative Senedd leader has said.

The criticism, from Andrew RT Davies, came after the first minister stated enforcement action would not be taken against people "genuinely confused".

Police would "seek to engage and to educate them", Mr Drakeford said.

Drivers claiming to be confused without evidence to support this should expect to face enforcement action, he said.

The outgoing first minister was speaking in the Senedd on Tuesday, a day after enforcement of the policy in built-up areas began.

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Mr Davies had asked him to explain comments he made in a news conference on Monday, in which he said people "genuinely confused" about whether the speed limit applied would not be prosecuted.

In Tuesday's First Minister's Questions, Mark Drakeford said "the enforcement authorities in Wales will pursue the same policy in relation to 20 mph zones as we became familiar with during Covid, that they will begin with engagement".

"Where people genuinely do not understand that the law has been broken, then they will engage in education with those people, and they will only take enforcement action when they are sure that that is needed to keep roads and communities safe and where the evidence is of wilfully breaking the law.

"So, what I said was: where people are genuinely confused, then the system will seek to engage and to educate them.

"Where people claim to be confused but there is no evidence that confusion lies at the root of their behaviour, then they cannot expect that enforcement action will not be taken."

Mr Davies responded: "That's as clear as mud, isn't it, first minister?"

Commenting later, he said Mr Drakeford had seemed "genuinely confused" by his policy.

'Dangerous'

In the Senedd, Mr Davies accused Welsh Labour ministers of making "a bad piece of law" that was "actually more confusing and more dangerous".

"Ultimately, this piece of law should be withdrawn and common sense prevail," he told Mr Drakeford.

But the first minister said Mr Davies should be "deeply ashamed" by "his suggestion that it is somehow legitimate to break a law simply because you think it is a bad law".

"What he intends to do is to encourage people to believe that if you think a law is a bad law, somehow it is legitimate for you to break it."

The Conservative Senedd leader denied that this was what he was doing.

In Monday's news conference, Mr Drakeford said police would enforce Wales' 20mph law when people drive "well above" the speed limit.

He also admitted there have been "anomalies" in signage.

His transport minister Lee Waters said on Monday that "for now" prosecutions will start at 26mph in a 20mph zone.

The limit came into effect in September.