RESIDENTS on Chepstow Road in Newport are calling for greater speed controls after five cars were badly damaged in a hit-and-run in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The road has had a long-running problem with residents’ cars being damaged or written off. One resident, Andrew Griffiths, said he feared for his family’s safety after his car was hit four times on the road – amounting to around £20,000 in damages.

After this latest crash, residents have called for traffic calming measures to crack down on drivers speeding on the road.

Resident John Granger said the scene following the crash was “carnage”.

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“This is the third time this has happened in about five weeks,” he said. “We were told this guy must have been going about 80mph.

“Three of the parked cars have been written off, and two others were badly damaged.

“It was carnage out there. The mess was unbelievable.

South Wales Argus:

(The aftermath of a crash on Chepstow Road, Newport, which saw five cars badly damaged. Picture: John Granger.)

“The Mondeo was in the middle of the road and my neighbour’s car had been shunted off the road.

“There were bits of car all over the road. It was incredible.

“If they had hit an immovable object, there would have been fatalities.

“The accidents are so frequent. We have had three accidents recently where five or six cars have been written off.

“They come along here so fast and suddenly spot the island in the middle of the road and swerve to miss it.

“We are hoping to get this island removed, or for them to put up speed cameras somewhere along the road.

“We need something to slow people down. It’s a wide road and they travel at such speed – 50mph or 60mph, day or night, is not uncommon.”

South Wales Argus:

(The aftermath of a crash on Chepstow Road, Newport, which saw five cars badly damaged. Picture: John Granger.)

Another resident, Kirstie Jenkins, said the situation was “ridiculous.”

“We heard a big crash; it was like a gunshot,” she said. “This car had hit two cars down from mine. The car was crushed right in. The cars it hit were completely crushed.

“The problem is the road. You have people driving down the road as fast as they can.

“We have seen people get killed here because of speeding drivers. It’s just crazy.

“My partner’s car was hit on New Year’s Eve and my neighbour’s car was written off not long before that. He had just got a brand new one to replace it and that’s now been hit.

South Wales Argus:

(The aftermath of a crash on Chepstow Road, Newport, which saw five cars badly damaged. Picture: John Granger.)

“Another gentleman has had his car written off four times. Something needs to be done as we can’t keep having people’s cars being damaged.

“It’s ridiculous. I’m looking out the window on a Sunday afternoon and people are not going 30mph. There’s nothing stopping them from driving as fast as they want.

“You have the speed cameras on George Street Bridge and in Newport town and you don’t hear of many accidents there.

“Whether its cameras or speed bumps, something has to be done.

“We need anything that would help the poor people that live here.

“We have lots of children living around here. Luckily this was in the middle of the night, so no-one was around.

“It’s ridiculous and we are going to see more people getting killed.”

A Gwent Police spokeswoman said: "A collision was reported on Chepstow Road at about 4.30am on January 25.

"A car hit a number of other parked cars causing damage. No-one was injured.

"Three males were arrested on suspicion of taking a vehicle without consent – they have since been released with no further action."