ACTION is needed to improve safety at a "dangerous" junction on a main Monmouthshire road.

The A40 at Raglan has been branded "no longer fit for purpose" by the local MP.

The section between Monmouth Road and Groesenon Road – known locally as the Dingestow junction – and another where pedestrians cross to visit Raglan Castle - are particular hotspots for complaint.

There have also been repeated pleas for the speed limit to be reduced from 70mph to 50mph after a series of accidents and near-misses.

A meeting on Friday, June 24, saw Raglan Community Council get together with officials from Monmouthshire County Council and the Welsh Government to discuss potential solutions.

The meeting comes ahead of a planned safety study on this stretch of road, which officers representing deputy climate change minister Lee Waters at the meeting confirmed will take place during the next financial year “at the latest”.

Monmouth MP David Davies said words now needed to be “turned into action”.

“The Welsh Government officers were very helpful and fully acknowledge there is a problem," he said.

"But we really needed the minister himself to turn up so he could grasp the seriousness of the situation.

“I was concerned to hear there is a long lag in recording accident statistics and only then if there are serious injuries or a fatality.

“I was involved in attending an accident on the A40 at Raglan over the Platinum Jubilee bank holiday weekend, which required an air ambulance. Yet as of this moment, it is not showing up on the statistics”.

Mr Davies said he believed the right turn crossing on to the A40 exiting Raglan from Monmouth Road was “no longer fit for purpose”.

“I particularly think as a starting measure, there should be a temporary no right turn on to the A40.

“All vehicles travelling from Monmouth Road should turn left only and use the existing roundabout if they need to head eastbound, instead of pulling across several lanes of busy and fast traffic."

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We have plans to carry out a full safety study on this stretch of road when funding becomes available.

“In the meantime, we continue to work closely with Monmouthshire County Council highways team who are responsible for the local road network and are looking at the option of removing the right turn crossing.”