RESIDENTS in Monmouthshire have called for renewed action to reduce traffic noise levels on a busy road that runs throughout their villages.

Campaigners from in and around Bryngwyn and The Bryn near Raglan recently met to discuss their opposition to the current state of the road surfacing on the A40.

Large volumes of cars and lorries travelling at high speeds along the road are causing misery for the community, with residents saying they are being kept awake at night.

They argue the road is one of only a few left in the country not to have been resurfaced with a modern, more quieter surface than the outdated concrete covering which is currently in place.

Residents believe the road should have been resurfaced with ‘whisper concrete’ at the same time as improvements to the ‘Heads of the Valleys’ road (A465) are taking place.

Monmouth MP David Davies, and the assembly member for the area Nick Ramsay, met residents gather their latest concerns, promising to relay their arguments to the Welsh government.

At the meeting, one resident spoke of her fear that improvements to the Heads of the Valleys road, as well as the scheduled removal of tolls on the Severn Bridge at the end of the year, were bound to increase traffic levels further.

She said that action needed to be taken.

After hearing the residents’ grievances, Mr Ramsay agreed to find out more about the improvements which have already taken place along a few stretches of the A40.

Mr Davies also promised to exert pressure on the Welsh government to improve the road surface and the residents’ quality of life.

“We need to know more about costings for installing whisper Tarmac,” he said.

“Ideally it should be laid along the entire stretch from the A40 to Abergavenny.

“However, residents are now understandably so desperate for improvements that even laying down a quiet surface near to The Bryn and Bryngwyn would be progress.

“I will certainly join Nick in maintaining the pressure on the Welsh Government’s cabinet secretary for economy and transport, Ken Skates AM, to take action.”

Mr Davies added: “Roads are getting busier and local residents have had to suffer patiently with excessive noise pollution for too long.”