BLAENAVON residents are calling for safety measures to be introduced on a country road where three Romanian tourists were injured in a car accident at the weekend.

Two Romanian women and a man were injured on Sunday afternoon when their grey Alpha Romeo hit a boulder and overturned several times on the road from Blaenavon to Abergavenny.

The incident happened at midday at Fiddler's Elbow, near the Cordell Country Inn.

Although police say speed was not a factor in this accident, local people say the winding road, with a 60 mph speed limit, has been the scene of a number of accidents.

A member of staff at the nearby Cordell Country Inn, who did not want to be named, said: "There are always accidents there.

"Only last year someone crashed into a tree outside the pub. They should drop the limit to 40mph."

Blaenavon has recently transformed itself into a booktown, and with its world heritage status and attraction like Big Pit mining museum is cementing is reputation as a tourist hot-spot.

Joanna Chambers, who co-owns Broadleaf Books on Broad Street, said that tourists using the road needed to be warned of the dangers. Mrs Chambers lives in Abergavenny and uses the road daily to travel to work. She said: "I think it would help to put some signs up so people were aware of the dangers. I certainly don't think the speed there should be more than 40mph."

Blaenavon Councillor Stuart Evans said he backed calls for a change in the speed limit of the road.

He said: "It's a notoriously dangerous road, which most locals know to treat with a lot of respect.

"It's unlit, very windy and there are lots of stray animals wandering around. There have been a lot of accidents recently.

"Drivers who don't know the road well often drive faster than they should. I think a more sensible approach is needed by motorists, but if a drop in the speed limit reduces accidents then I'm all for it."

The three occupants of the car involved in the latest crash, who spoke very little English, were taken to Nevill Hall Hospital, Abergavenny, with minor injuries.

The back seat passenger, a 46-year-old woman, was transferred to Morriston Hospital, Swansea, for cosmetic surgery treatment to a head wound. Her injuries were not serious.

A spokeswoman for Gwent Police said: "In this case speed doesn't appear to have been a factor.

"The road is not considered to be an accident blackspot, therefore the national speed limit applies.

"There is a new speed restriction of 30mph further on down the road when the area reaches a residential site and officers will be monitoring this area more closely in future."