A car crashed into a garden and was abandoned on the corner of the A469 Mountain Road and Heol Cau Barrau in Caerphilly this afternoon.
Witnesses said the Silver Peugeot ploughed through a hedge and fencing at around 2.30pm. Police told residents they believed the car was stolen as there was no one in the vehicle when they arrived.
PCSOs at the scene told Caerphilly Observer they were unable to comment but Gwent Police said three occupants were seen fleeing from the car.
The crash is the third time in three years that a car has smashed through fencing into gardens on the stretch of road.
The spate of incidents has led to a residents’ campaign for a road safety barrier to protect property and children.
Campaigner Rhiannon Williams, who witnessed the aftermath of the crash, said: “We knew it was going to happen, we told the council time and again.
“It happened around 2,30 pm, just before children finish school and we’re lucky that no one has been killed.”
Mrs Williams added that a police helicopter had been at the scene.
A Gwent Police spokesperson said: “A Silver Peugeot 106 left the road crashing into the garden of a nearby home.
“Three occupants believed to be young men who were travelling in the vehicle left the scene before the arrival of Emergency services.
“Gwent Police is appealing for information to help trace the men and anyone who may have witnessed the incident is asked to ring 101 quoting log 293 19/06/14.”
Lucky there was no kids by there at the time I cant remember if this paper covered a story a few weeks ago that Caerphilly council wont but nothing by there to stop cars going in to the gardens. Now thay need to do something before someone gets killed
My sympathies to the poor person who has had their car stolen by these three idiots, they now have the grief, stress and expense of trying to get their car back on the road again, whilst the pond-life who stole their car will simply do it to another innocent motorist.
What about the poor woman who lived in the house? In went right into her garden, and just stopped before hitting her house. Luckily her nor her family were hurt or killed.
Come on councillors what do you intend to do about this!??
Caerffili Town Council supports the provision of a barrier. The Borough Council says they will only do this at Town Council expense and quote the, rather unlikely, cost of £35,000 plus VAT, or £42,000.
What about the Armco barrier that only costs £11,000?? We pay enough in council tax and for what?
Caerphilly Independent Town Councillor Richard Williams say`s, quite correctly, that the Caerphilly town Council suppoprts the proposal to place a crash barrier at this spot.
As they are not the Highways Authority it is fortunate that, whilst supporting the residents moves to get proper safety regulations installed on this road, they do not have to make the decisions to spend the ratepayers money on this proposed scheme or not, so, who pays? The Answer is clear, whoever pays the bill the money it comes from the ratepayers, Caerphilly CBC collect rates, and recieve thier Welsh Assembly financial Settlement, and, it their duty to ensure that if a particular road safety need exists that it is met, that`is what Council`s do, they don`t do much else except spend money.
In this case it is a matter of priorities, Big Cheese? or the Lives of Children?
Fireworks display over Caerphilly Castle once a year,? or the lives of Children?
12 New Land Rover for the use of staff? or, The lives of Children?
£285,000 over the next year in salaries to TWO Chief Executives of Caerphilly CBC?, or, The Lives of Children?.
Caerphilly CBC Community Centres up and down the Valleys sitting on Hundreds of Thousands of Pounds of income from renting out these Community Facilities owned by the Residents of the borough?, Or, The Lives of Children?
No Contest !!!!!!!
This is just a few doors away from the houses which have been hit twice already by cars crashing into the gardens. I’ve told the Council time after time in the past 6 months that there was going to be a 3rd crash but they refused to erect a barrier. There’s children living in all of these houses and we have been so lucky that no-one has been killed yet.
Highways recorded a car driving past our house at 99.7mph in a recent speed survey carried out. It was at 2pm on a sunny Saturday afternoon when children were out playing. Yet they sent me an email after this report saying that they were happy with the findings and would not take any further action. Apparently the VAS, the illuminated bollard and newly painted road markings they put in place after the 2nd crash was supposed to be sufficient to prevent further accidents. Obviously this is not the case.
Caerphilly Highway’s department have just installed a 120m crash barrier on the Newbridge bypass and the total cost to Caerphilly Council was just £11046.62. I cannot understand why Caerphilly Council have quoted us£35,000 plus VAT for a 108m barrier to protect the residents of Cwrt Nant Y Felin.
And at the Newbridge site, there have been no accidents in the past 5 years, unlike ours. But this site gets a few extra points as if there was a crash, it could cause a disruption to the traffic on the road!
If you feel that strongly, buy your own barrier! Get the resident to club together and help fund it themselves. There are usually VAT exceptions for projects like this too. This is of course, if you feel your lives are genuinely at risk. Look after yourself instead of relying on the council. We all know CCBC is like the circus.
Why buy a house by a busy road anyway? It’s a stupid decision to buy a house there. Yes the houses were built at the same time but everyone knew the road would be busy. It was clear the road would be one of the main ways into Cardiff. It wasn’t even one of the cheapest houses in Caerphilly. It’s like buying a house under Heathrow Airport’s flight path and complaining about the noise.
You have no right to complain, in a similar way homeowners who buy a house on a floodplain have no right to complain about lack of inaction during a flood, or flood defences. It was their own stupid idea to buy a house there. The same goes for people who buy homes near cliff edges.
I can’t even be bothered replying to Paul but I’ll reply to you Dean. You may have a lot of money but we have children and cannot afford to pay for a barrier ourselves. I’ve applied for so many grants from different agencies but they’ve all refused as they say it’s the Council’s responsibility to protect us. The houses are not on a bend. It’s a straight row and we have been told that if they were built now, they would not pass planning regulations. I haven’t got a low IQ and we have every right to complain. If I had bought a house by an airport then I would expect noise. Who expects cars to keep crashing in the same area? That’s just a stupid comment to say we should expect them to crash into our gardens. I’ve contacted the police, Go safe and the Council about a speed camera and they won’t even put a mobile van there. We were told by the police that speed cameras are actually bring removed in Caerphilly because of the upkeep of them. I don’t understand the reasoning of this as they’d make a fortune on the road which would cover the upkeep of one.
As building regulations change every year most houses built only a few years ago would not pass current building regulations, I know I’ve built my own, the house you live In passed the regulations at the time and was signed off by council building inspectors and the highways department must have been satisfied with it’s position in relation to the road. As Dean says if you feel so strongly about this, which you most obviously do, then raise the money for a crash barrier yourselves. Why purchase a house next to a busy road and then spend the rest of your time complaining to the council to erect a crash barrier, I don’t wish to live on a busy main road so I live in a quiet cul de sac, you pay your money you take your choice.
There is a bend in the road around that area. You come around the bend, lose control and crash somewhere along the straight. The whole road up is a slight curve so the problem is worse.
An Armco barrier is £11,000. If 40 residents clubbed together that’s £275 each. Surely you can afford that. If you went around the entire estate it could be under £5 each. Do some fundraising on a couple of weekends in Caerphilly, maybe around the Big Cheese weekend and you will soon have the money for a barrier. It can’t be that important to you otherwise you would have started raising the money…
You have ZERO right to complain. You bought a house on a mina road, into a capital city. Common sense tells you it would be dangerous. You state “why should I expect cars to keep crashing?” It’s a road, you expect accidents to happen. In a similar way, you expect floods to happen on a floodplain.
Dean, the cars aren’t going around the bend and crashing into the straight part. You have obviously assumed that the cars which have crashed have been driving up the road. They’ve all been driving down the road on the opposite side.
There are about 15 house in the risky part, not 40.
The Council have been able to install a longer barrier for just over £11,000 in Newbridge. They choose the contractors and have told me that if the residents want a barrier here then it will cost £35,000 plus VAT because of the contractors they will use here. I have asked them why my quote was so high but I obviously won’t get an answer until 20 working days have passed. They are making it as difficult as possible to get a barrier here and it’s not as easy as just paying £275 each.
A National rail company also offered to install an armco barrier for free but we were told that there was no point in even trying to go down that route as there was no way the Council would allow an outside agency to work on the road.
Here’s an idea, you’ve had an offer for a fee barrier so have the barrier installed just inside your property and put your fences just behind it. You will lose a foot of your garden but you’ve got around the council and will have a barrier to prevent cars from coming into your garden. As it’s a barrier you could claim it’s part of the fencing and not need planning permission. Problem solved.
Of course the cars are coming down. If they were going up they wouldn’t get enough speed. Can you not imagine it? Cars come down, exit the corner as the final downward section is on a corner, lose control, skid across the other side of the road due, mount the curb, spin around and crash straight into the fence gardens.
It is that smile. Fundraising with a bucket in Caerphilly on the Big Cheese weekend raises tens of thousands.
Market your fundraising as protecting children. People will instantly feel emotionally attached.
You may have come up with a solution Dean, but then they will complain that because a crash barrier has been installed it shows that the council allowed their houses to be built in the position of an accident black spot and now the houses have become unsellable and the council should therefore pay them compensation.
Scroungers with no morals. They want everything given to them despite other, more-reasonable solutions.
When I first wrote on this site about the previous crashes you accused me of making them up and setting up different profiles, when in fact it was my neighbours commenting as well. So you obviously do not know the reason why these cars are only crashing in the same part and nowhere else on the Mountain Road. I would like to say thank you Dean as it was your troll comments in January that helped start the petition and the fight to get a barrier.
I agree something needs to be done although the information is wrong the first crash happened in may 2008 that’s 6 years ago not 3.
My son was playing in our garden only a few houses up the road! This is ridiculous. Caerphilly Council, do something NOW!!!
Have you made a complaint to the Council yet Elena? This is the link if not
http://www.caerphilly.gov.uk/site.aspx?s=SqA7wkzAq08OEFae0+LeHQ==
I don’t really see why the blame is being put on the council for this incident, this was caused by three idiots joyriding in a stolen car, if they hadn’t have crashed at that spot they would have crashed somewhere else possibly killing somebody. It is not the councils fault if folk can’t drive sensibly and keep their cars on the tarmac, should the council erect Armco barrier along every stretch of road to stop idiot drivers from going into the scenery. Sadly in the wrong hands a car is a dangerous killing machine, no matter where or what road it is driven on.
No they shouldn’t install barriers everywhere but there is only about 4ft separating our garden from the road. Do you know anywhere else in the Borough where cars drive at up to 99.7mph, only 4ft away from children playing in their gardens? Because the Council haven’t been able to answer that question. I’m sure if you and your neighbours had been hit 3 times in a few years and next time your children could be killed, you’d think differently. Every crash has been due to crazy drivers but unfortunately all through the day, everyday single day, people are driving dangerously up and down the road put our lives at risk.
The council did not drive the car at 99.7mph, the council did not crash the silver Peugeot, the council did not force you to buy a house 4ft from a busy road A road, the council aren’t responsible for children – that is actually the duty of the parents.
The road was probably there before the houses and has a 40mph limit but is quite wide fairly straight and flat which encourages motorists to go over the 40mph limit, I’m sure drivers who live in those houses regularly break the 40mph limit with no thought or regard for other peoples safety. Maybe a speed camera should be installed, but it wouldn’t stop low life stealing cars and driving like idiots putting peoples lives at risk.
Are you for real? You’re right the council didn’t drive the car, nor did they force us to purchase the house but when we did purchase the house there hadn’t been any road accidents. The council have a duty to protect residents of Caerphilly from cars leaving a carriageway though. The council carry out what is known as risk assessments. Why would they do this if it isn’t there responsibility?
I’d love to see how you would protect your children from cars driving into your garden at 99 miles an hour from a distance of 4 foot. Are you Superman in disguise? Or are you saying our children shouldn’t be allowed to play in our own garden.
The road was built at the same time as the houses before you start presuming you should investigate the facts. I think a speed camera would be perfect as this would stop drivers driving over the speed limit. However the police cannot afford the £50,000 it would cost to implement this.
Again you are right it wouldn’t stop idiots like this stealing cars hence why we are pushing for a crash barrier because it would stop the idiots from landing in our garden everytime
Gareth, talk sense. Stop plucking figures from a chicken’s bottom and pretending they are gospel. The UK’s leading speed camera manufacturer has stated a camera costs no more than £40,000. It’s normally £20,000. A speed camera is cheaper in the long run as you don’t need to constantly repair like you do a barrier after a crash.
Who cares if there were no crashes on the road when you bought the house? There may have been no floods on a newly built estate on a floodplain but only idiots with a single digit IQ buy a house there. The same thing stands in this situation.
As residents, buy and build your own barrier! (Easily affordable for a resident’s association) Stop relying on elected clowns to help.
Real educated answer there Dean, What you could have said is “Gareth, How did you come to that figure” and I would have told you the traffic police who have visited us on numerous occasions to see if there are any other methods to try to prevent this from happening again quoted that figure. Why would i just make up a figure??? I havent a clue how much a speed camera costs to maintain. Why would it cost no more than £40k and then cost £20k Half price sale for last years models is it at the bargain speed camera shop
Maybe you should go back into your own chickens bottom and search for food on the floodplain.
No need to ask you. It’s clear you hadn’t done your research properly.
You are so interested in a speed camera you didn’t bother doing research around operating costs or maintenance costs. You believed the figure given by some traffic police without doing the research yourself. You need to find out the figure independently using a range of sources and keeping the lowest figure when in a debate with the council (You tend to win more debates that way and you will catch the council out).
Really? Do you really not know why the price of a speed camera differs? It depends on the power supply needed, location, environmental lighting etc..
Here, I’ll help you out in the first step of constructing a proposal for the council/police.
http://www.speedcamerasuk.com/gatso.htm
Oh dear, dear, dear, you cannot see it says ‘floods’? Still, I’m not the one who bought a house on a busy, main road, on a bend with no crash barrier, leading into a capital city, and thinking I have a right to complain…
Build your own barrier!
Good to see you found that “edit” button
Thank you Dean – it is up to the buyer of a property to do their own risk assessment, you pay your money you take your choice, don’t purchase a house close to a busy trunk road if you’re going to stress about the traffic using it, or abusing it as in this case. Those who brought the houses in said location did so in the knowledge that they would be situated alongside the A469.
No I am not employed by Caerphilly Council, and I don’t agree with some of the things they do but I don’t see that they are in any way at fault here, if idiots wish to drive around putting peoples lives at risk that’s nothing to do with the local council and if folk decide to live next to a busy road well that’s their decision the council aren’t to blame.
Are you by any chance part of the council paul?
For all those affected by this issue – Forget complaining to Officers in the highways department, they will take a view which is slanted and blinkered.
Complain to the politicians who hold responsibility to you and your children, in this case, Cabinet Member for Transport and highways, Labour Councillor ,TOM WILLIAMS PHONE HIM AT HOME!!!!! ON 01443 830731
YOU AND I PAY FOR THE PROVISION OF A MOBILE PHONE FOR HIM BUT HE DOES`NT WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO CONTACT HIM ON THAT SO HE DOES NOT MAKE THE NUMBER PUBLIC. HOWEVER, HE HAS NO CHOICE WHEN IT COMES TO THE COMPUTOR WE PROVIDE FOR HIM HIS E-MAIL ADDRESS IS tomwilliams@caerphilly.gov.uk.
If Tom refuses to help remember it at the next election when Labour iin St, Martins Ward are seeking your vote, and tell him that!!!!!! Good luck, but please let us all know how you get on, and we can all judge if we should support his party in the election or not.