ARGUS readers forced an about-turn by the authorities yesterday when a controversial stretch of road in Newport was given 30 mph repeater signs.

Cardiff Road - one of the city's worst speeding blackspots - now has road signs reminding motorists they are in a 30 mph zone, following an Argus campaign.

The measure is part of Gwent Police's new proactive anti-speeding policy drawn up in response to public pressure and the introduction of new government guidelines.

The move was welcomed by motorists' association the RAC Foundation, whose road safety officer Kevin Delaney said: "Everybody, including the police and the government say that the point of speed cameras is to deter not to catch speeders, so this has to be good thing."

The new signs warn motorists they are in a 30 mph zone which is subject to speed checks and follows an Argus exclusive story last year which revealed police had caught 1,500 motorists along Cardiff Road in six months.

Following the story we were inundated with angry letters from readers accusing police of exploiting the lack of signs on the road simply to catch and fine speeding motorists. Gwent Police denied the claims, saying their operation had resulted in a marked reduction in the number of accidents along the road.

Yesterday police said the issue of speed repeater signs was now a matter for the South Wales Safety Camera Partnership, a joint body of South Wales police forces co-ordinating speed camera policy.

They were not available for comment yesterday. But the Argus can reveal today that Newport council was unhappy with the police policy of parking their speed camera van in Belle Vue Park - an issue raised by a number of our readers during our campaign.

The council say it has asked police not to use the park. A council spokeswoman called it "an inappropriate use of a park entrance". The introduction of the new measures follows the launch of the safety camera partnership last week.

The scheme will see the South Wales forces sharing the revenue generated by catching speeding motorists to buy more cameras. In the past the cash went to the Treasury. Among the new measures are the road signs which will be placed within 1,000 metres of the location of mobile and fixed police speed traps. Speed camera vans will now have distinctive markings to let motorists know speed checks