AVERAGE speed cameras on the M4 at Newport will finally be switched on - 20 months after they were installed.

The Welsh Government confirmed it will begin enforcing the 50mph average speed limit between junction 28 at Tredegar Park and junction 24 at the Coldra in a matter of weeks.

The network of cameras was installed at the beginning of 2021, but have stood dormant ever since - the government has blamed IT problems for the delays.

A switch-on date of Thursday, November 17, means the 50mph limit will be activated nearly two years after an expert panel recommended the move as part of plans to cut congestion on this busy stretch of motorway.

Ironically it was described at the time as a "fast-track" measure to improve traffic flow around the Brynglas Tunnels.

Construction was initially delayed by the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but work to install the yellow cameras began at the end of 2020 when lockdown restrictions led to lower traffic levels.

The project was the brainchild of the South East Wales Transport Commission, headed by Lord Terry Burns and set up by Mark Drakeford following the decision to cancel the planned M4 relief road.

The commission eventually published wider recommendations to make rail the backbone of an improved public transport system for Newport, but first it revealed a series of quick wins designed to improve motorway journeys with minimum interference.

The old variable speed limit cameras - which could be changed independently of each other to show different speeds - were blamed for contributing to disruption on the M4 in Newport, and the Welsh Government quickly adopted the commission's plan for a fixed 50mph average speed zone instead.

The installation of the new cameras was followed swiftly by the erection of signs informing drivers of the new 50mph average speed zone, but frequent requests by the Argus for updates revealed the Welsh Government had not switched the cameras on.

Speaking back in the summer, a spokesperson for Wales-wide road safety organisation GoSafe said "significant development and investment in systems is required before we can make these schemes live".

This week, the Welsh Government said those problems had been overcome.

"The IT system to enable full speed enforcement between Junctions 24 and 28 on the M4 at Newport has been undergoing a significant upgrade," a government spokesperson said. "This, together with the recruitment of staff, has meant enforcement will start from November 17."