facebook.com/WalesOnline Twitter: @WalesOnline www.walesonline.co.uk Thursday, October 4, 2018 £1.

10

Tredegar
PAGE 8

‘I make most
of each day’
STEFFAN Lewis AM has
spoken about his cancer,
and the fact that he is
likely to have limited time
left to spend with his wife,
Shona, and three-year-old
son, Celyn.
■■ Report: Page 3

Blaenau Gwent
Urgent review
of cemeteries

HUNDREDS SAY FAREWELL TO ENZO

An urgent review of
Blaenau Gwent’s
‘deteriorating’ cemeteries
has been called for after a
report found all seven
cemeteries in the
borough are showing
signs of decline.

Boy racers making

■■ Full story: Page 6

This newspaper is published by Trinity Mirror

North West & North Wales Ltd, a subsidiary
company of Reach PLC, at 6 Park Street, Cardiff,
CF10 1XR, and printed by Reach Midlands Media
Limited, Wood Ln, Birmingham B24 9PW.
Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office

town ‘no-go zone’

Call for action to curb ‘lawlessness’ in Tredegar: Pages 4&5










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 WGG1ST
4 OCTOBER 4, 2018    walesonline.co.uk

‘Lawless’ town
ANNA LEWIS
anna.lewis@walesonline.co.uk

A Valleys town has been

described as a “no-go
zone” because of dozens
of boy racers circling the

a ‘no-go zone’
streets.
Residents in Tredegar
said they are too scared
to visit the town centre at
night because they fear
being hit by groups of
speeding cars.
Former doorman David

at night due
Davies said he has been
prescribed medication to
help him sleep after suf-
fering from sleep depriva-
tion due to the noise.
After moving to Blae-
nau Gwent in 2016, the

to boy racers
50-year-old now describes
himself as a “prisoner in
his own house”, unable
to open his windows and
doors.
He said: “I moved to
Tredegar in June 2016 and
for a few months it was
always brilliant, lovely,
up here. After about six
or eight months the boy
racers started congregat-
ing in the [Bank Lane] car
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www.gibbonscoaches.com
Bank Lane car park is a popular area for boy racers to gather GOOGLE

walesonline.co.uk    OCTOBER 4, 2018
Aneurin Bevan once gave his speeches
here as well as people liv-
ing here.”
On August 8, Cefn Go-
lau resident Stephanie
Reardon was walking
two-year-old Border Col-
lie, Roxy, before work at
5.30am.
When a speeding driver
came around the corner,
the 35-year-old had no
time to react as she saw
her dog run over in front
of her.
Ms Reardon said: “We
came to the corner of the
street on Attlee Way. The
guy must have been doing
60mph and Roxy had just
stepped off the kerb. There
was no time to move her
and she was run over in
front of me.
“If he was doing a nor-
mal speed she probably
would have come away
with a few broken bones.
“The racers are always
up and down the streets.
A couple of years ago a
girl was knocked down. At
the speed he was going he
would have no idea what
he hit.
Rowan Griffiths
“At the moment they are
just carrying on their life
as normal and we are left
to pick up the pieces. To
some people it’s just a dog
but my dogs are my kids
and watching her getting
hit in front of me, it’s not
going away soon.”
After an increase in
antisocial behaviour in
recent months, retired
policeman Nigel Barnes
compared the Blaenau
Gwent town centre to a
“no-go zone”.
He said: “It’s absolutely
wild up here. Someone
will get killed.
“Take, for example, on
August 10. I went out for
a leaving do with my wife
and an ex-colleague. It
was about half past nine
and we were walking from
Wetherspoon to Castle
Street. These cars were
just racing through do-
ing 80-90 mph through
the main streeets. It was
a black Fiesta and a black
Focus with two young
boys and they were just
tearing through.
“After going flat-out by
Castle Street they were
doing handbreak turns
around the clock, zoom-
ing back to the main car
parks and coming back.
“It’s every weekend but
also most nights of the
week as well and some-
times they start during
the day. They are driving
with no seat belts, on their
phones and doing god
knows what.”
Mr Barnes, 51, said
members of the commu-
nity now fear walking into
the town.
He said: “It’s intimidat-
ing for people.
“I lie in bed listening to
the tyres and you just ex-
pect there to be a crash at
any minute.
“I was a police officer
for 13 years and I can’t
believe the difference. The
police have been decimat-
ed by cut-backs.
“The town is a no-go
area in the night, yobs are
controlling the streets and
it shouldn’t be that way”.
Tredegar resident Adri-
an Purkis, 50, added: “You
can’t go through Tredegar
at night. It’s absolutely
disgusting, it’s a lawless
town.”
County councillor for
Tredegar, Tommy Smith,
blamed the increase in
anti-social behaviour on
policing cut-backs.
He said: “The neighour-
hood policing team are
doing what they can for
the town but it’s a national
problem that has been
Cars travel at more than 60mph through the town’s narrow streets, according to people
who live there
Nick Smith is calling for action to be taken in Tredegar to
combat boy racing and antisocial behaviour
created by central govern-
ment.
“The boy racers are a
nuisance in certain resi-
dential areas of Tredegar
with no regard to pedes-
trians or other road users.
We have spoken to the
inspectors and there are
talks to try and resolve this
but it’s not an easy fix.”
WGG1ST
Blaenau Gwent MP
Nick Smith is now calling
for action to be taken over
the anti-social behaviour.
He said: “Youths con-
gregating in cars and us-
ing our streets like a race
track do not only pose a
very serious threat to the
lives of safe drivers and
pedestrians but can make
5
life a hell for those affect-
ed by the noise nuisance
that often goes hand in
hand with such anti-social
behaviour.
“This is a serious issue
that needs addressing.
“I was pleased to learn
that Gwent Police had
identified this problem
in Tredegar as a prior-
ity concern for residents.
I have now asked for con-
firmation that area sup-
port officers have been
approached and want to
know what level of sup-
port they have been able
to provide and whether
this has resulted in any ar-
rests.
“I have also pressed for
a more specific response
and action to be taken in
and around the Bank Lane
car park.”
A Blaenau Gwent coun-
cil spokeswoman said
“Blaenau Gwent Council
will work with Gwent Po-
lice to understand the na-
ture of the concerns and
consider a broad range of
options to tackle the is-
sues raised.”
Gwent Police did not
wish to comment.