The owner of a parked car completely written off after a motorist smashed their vehicle into the side of it has spoken of an ongoing issue in the street which he fears will result in a fatality. Aled Roberts said he and his partner Simone Blair were settling down for the evening at around 11.20pm on Sunday, November 27, when they heard a loud bang come from outside their home in Sandy Road in Llanelli.
Mr Roberts said he instinctively feared the worst, and told Miss Blair: "That's our car." When he stepped outside, his fears were confirmed, as he discovered a silver Mazda vehicle had collided with their blue Lexus. Police arrived shortly after to deal with the matter.
The reason for the crash is unknown, and there is no suggestion speeding was a factor, but there are concerns about vehicles travelling at too high a speed on the 30mph Sandy Road. And that's not the only issue. Five years ago new traffic lights - which were a condition of the planning approval for a new housing estate and retail development in the area - were installed, but caused complaints over an increase in congestion and poor air quality. Residents have continued to call for what they see is the only solution - a bypass to take traffic away from their homes. Get stories like this straight to your inbox with our newsletters.
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Mr Roberts, 59, who has lived along the road for 20 years, said: "Me and my other half, we were in bed. Because she is a manager for a care company, she relies on the car to get back and forth to work. She travels from Llanelli to Ammanford every day. We were watching something on TV, and all we heard was a big bang and the alarm of the car going off. I jumped out of bed and said: 'That's our car', I just knew straight away that it was our car. I ran to the front window of the house and I could see this Mazda planted into the side of our Lexus.
"We both went out and took some photos, but it was just a real sinking feeling. It felt inevitable. I knew the car was going to get hit at some point."
Speaking generally about issues in the road, not specifically about this latest incident, he added: "During the day it (Sandy Road) is gridlocked, and during the night it's absolutely diabolical with speeding. All I've got to do is watch my camera for 30 seconds in the evening and I can guarantee cars will be coming through here at a hell of a lick, they do use it as a racetrack.
"It has got worse in, say, the last five years. There has been two accidents down by the traffic lights, with drivers running into the back of other people. You can't relax in the evenings, you hear the pop and bang of the exhausts. We've got old people living in the street and there's one chap who's in bed all the time in his front room. He gets this all of the time. We've been fed up of it for a long time. People are going to get killed here."
A spokesman for Dyfed-Powys Police said: "We were called to Sandy Road, Llanelli, after a silver Mazda crashed into a parked blue Lexus at shortly after 11.20pm on Sunday (November 27). No injuries were reported, details were exchanged."
Carmarthenshire Council cabinet member for transport, waste and infrastructure, Councillor Edward Thomas said: “I am sorry to learn of the accidents and consequent damage to vehicles along Sandy Road. Carmarthenshire County Council notes the comments regarding the alleged speeding along the highway. The county council has no powers with regards to enforcement of speed limits but we will refer the residents’ concerns to the respective agencies. Residents can also report speeding concerns, online, via the GoSafe website. The council is also undertaking extensive work on the change to legislation for the default speed limit to 20mph in residential areas, which is due to come into force in September, 2023.”
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