As cars screech down a residential street in Aberavon, one dad runs out of his home in Olive Street to grab his children by the collar and pull them back from the pavement. Whilst he wants his youngsters to be able to play outside with their friends, the vehicles using his estate as a ratrun have him constantly worried they’ll be injured.
Just a couple of weeks ago, a wall in nearby Norman Street became the latest casualty to the menace of speeding drivers in the area and this father does not want his children to be next.
Aberavon in Port Talbot is also plagued by littering. With plastic, paper and other rubbish blowing down the gutter in the wind and rubbish bags filled with household waste splitting and spilling into streets and back lanes, it’s no wonder residents are scowling at the mess in their local area. For more Port Talbot stories, go here.
Read more: Clip shows sickening moment bullied schoolboy is floored with knockdown punch
And there’s so few shops and businesses in the ward that most people trek into Port Talbot town centre to do their shopping, get their hair cut or go to the bank. Whilst the town centre is only a short walk away, some residents say they miss when they only had to walk to the end of their street to visit an independent store and get everything they needed – and miss knowing everyone in their community.
“There used to be a shop on every street,” one long-term Aberavon resident recalled. “Now, there’s just one shop – and people don’t really socialise. I remember we had a street party for the Queen’s Coronation [in 1953], everyone came out into the street and everything. But I won’t have a party for the Jubilee next week – I don’t know all my neighbours and some of them aren’t very nice people.”
This is the community that, back in 2019, ex-mayor of Neath Port Talbot and serving councillor Dennis Keogh caused a stir by saying should be “flattened with a small thermonuclear device”. Claiming the area was “like a ghetto,” Cllr Keogh suggested it should be rebuilt from scratch. His comments made national headlines but he was criticised by residents in his ward who claimed he was turning his nose up at the very community in which he was born and raised. They were even angrier that Mr Keogh didn't apologise for his comments for over a month.
At the time, locals defended their community and said it had promise and just needed development, investment, and support from the council who, they felt, had “abandoned” them in their challenges.
Fast-forward three years and whilst few residents remember Cllr Keogh’s comments, some do – and they’re still not happy. One Aberavon resident of more than 50 years said she was “furious” when she heard what he'd said, and that the comments didn’t reflect the community Aberavon was then, is now, or had ever been. You can get the latest Neath Port Talbot news stories straight to your inbox with our free newsletter. Sign up here.
Historically, Aberavon ward has always been one of the most deprived in Port Talbot and as Wales faces the worst cost of living crisis in decades, people there and beyond are understandably worried about living pay cheque to pay cheque and managing the increasing costs of electricity and gas bills. One of the two current councillors for Aberavon, Andrew Dacey, told WalesOnline that there were “a lot” of residents in the area who were on income support and benefits and would therefore be badly affected by the current cost of living crisis – something he wanted to help them face, but was only in the early stages of addressing.
The Plaid Cymru councillors' comments come a year after he said he was "frustrated" at the lack of help and amenities given to leisure, sporting and artistic providers in the ward, despite the previous Labour council having increased council tax by 25%.
“The ward suffers from street cleaning and rodent issues and call-out pest control costs more than pensioners, benefits claimants and people [in] work can afford.," he claimed last April. "Street cleaning needs to be far better and more resources required.”
But it’s not all bad in Aberavon. It would be a crime to ignore the residents who speak of their admiration for the community and their love of their local area - or to ignore the dozens of locals who selflessly gave up their time and resources to support neighbours-in-need during the pandemic, doing their food shopping for them or bringing them medication and other necessities directly to their door. Others have praised the area’s affordability and close location to the beachfront, Port Talbot town centre, and stunning Margam Park as the key reasons why they love living here.
‘I’m scared my kids are gonna get run over’
But speeding and bad driving in Aberavon ward are a plague on the area, locals say. What was once a close-knit, sometimes quiet community has become renowned locally for irresponsible drivers hurtling past houses on their way to the seafront or the hospital, with little regard for the people and homes they’re driving past.
Dad-of-three Nicky Smith, 33, said he regularly saw cars whizzing down the street without a care in the world – whilst his dad-of-five pal, who asked to be anonymous, said he’d had to grab his sons by the collar and pull them off the pavement, to ensure that reckless drivers didn’t plough into them.
Fellow Aberavon resident Michael Painter said he too often saw motorists fly down Dunraven Street, a road mostly populated with elderly residents and families with small children, at shocking speeds of up to 60mph. Michael said speed restrictions were needed in the area, whilst Nicky suggested that certain streets in Aberavon should be made “one way only” to help decrease the number of motorists who used the ward as a ratrun to cut traffic and to help calm traffic. Sleeping policemen would also help mitigate the speeding issue, he said.
Labour Cllr Stephanie Lynch told WalesOnline she was looking into residents' requests to make certain streets one-way and had already contacted Neath Port Talbot Council about this, whilst Cllr Andrew Dacey suggested a "trial and consultation" period should be used before bringing in a one-way system.
"With regards to the one-way system, perhaps a trial and consultation period prior to its implementation," he said. "Speed control measures and warning signs could also be an option. The problem is the streets of Aberavon are over 100 years old and not designed for modern day vehicles."
Anti-social behaviour isn’t as bad as it was
Back in 2019, Cllr Keogh said anti-social behaviour was a significant issue in the community and raised fears of vulnerable people being exploited by drugs gangs, while blaming houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs) for changing the character of the ward.
“We are not talking about jacky doorknockers [when children knock at a door and run away before it is answered]. There are real concerns about the proliferation of new, unsavoury people that are residing in Aberavon and the surge in violence and disorder,” he said at the time. “Young children can already identify a junkie with hard drugs being an everyday sight for residents. An Aberavon man was recently charged with murder, a worker in a nearby shop in Bailey Street was seriously assaulted and a police helicopter has been called out several times, including for an incident with a youngster running amok with an axe.
“Alarm bells are ringing on county lines – they are already in Neath, it’s established in Swansea and it’s a ticking time bomb for Aberavon which, with the bus station 200 metres away and HMOs, is fertile land for them. There’s been good work done recently to try and break some of the issues down in Aberavon but we are really fragile – I urge you to think of the people.”
But whilst anti-social behaviour may have been rife in 2019, there are far fewer incidents these days, residents say. When asked if they were worried about anti-social behaviour in the area, nearly all the residents we spoke to said it wasn’t much of an issue in the ward, no more than in any other residential ward in a large town.
One reason for this could be because so many members of the community got involved in local schemes and projects to support the vulnerable and elderly during the pandemic. Councillor Stephanie Lynch, who was previously involved in “RADAR” (the Aberavon Development and Regeneration community group) told WalesOnline the group received more than 800 calls for support during the pandemic, and praised kind-hearted volunteers for delivering shopping and necessities to people-in-need across the area. Even now, months after the last Welsh lockdown, the group are still shopping and delivering items to a few older residents in the ward.
'Littering is still a huge issue in Aberavon'
Whilst residents said anti-social behaviour had lessened over the last few years, littering remains a major issue for locals. Back in 2019, dozens of residents told us that littering was one of the biggest issues facing the community – and residents living in Aberavon in 2022 said the situation hadn’t improved much in the three years since. Bin bags get left out to the elements, ripped by wildlife, or manhandled by neighbours so much that rubbish spills out across back lanes and out into the street, whilst cigarettes are dropped in fields and parks, especially popular Julian Park, and gates designed to be locked to keep bins in back lanes and not spreading down the residential streets, seem to often be left open.
Cllr Lynch said littering was one of her biggest concerns long before she was elected as councillor and is undoubtedly a key priority for her during her time in office. “It sounds cheesy but the reason I became a councillor in the first place was for these issues,” she said. “Residents can only go so far but I can take it further as a councillor. Dealing with the rubbish and flytipping are priorities for me.”
She explained further in a statement: "Since before I was a councillor, I have been really active on the littering issue we are facing in Aberavon. As a resident here myself it makes me so sad when, either by officers in the council or volunteers, the litter is cleared one minute and is back the next," she wrote. "It’s the reason I stood in the first place. Our councillors in Aberavon weren’t taking a strong enough stance on littering and it was about time someone did.
"The issue hasn’t been taken seriously for a long time which is why I requested a review into the way waste is collected in Aberavon. This resulted in the establishment of ‘Collection Points’. Enforcement officers will target collection points where there are accumulations of excess waste (for example piles of black bags at the end of lanes).
"In addition to this, I am in regular contact with residents across Aberavon on the littering issue. It’s about getting on top of the flytipping as quickly as we can when it is dumped. I also requested a review of the gated lanes situation – it’s a tough one. Some residents are for getting rid of them completely so it is about balancing those that want to get rid of them and those that want to keep them locked. It’s an incredibly important issue in the ward which is why I have dedicated so much time to it. It is a tireless battle but with the support of volunteers and the council I believe we can continue to make a difference.
"I also requested the increased enforcement of flytipping and littering which was also announced last year. I also am in regular contact with side waste officers chasing reports from residents and reporting flytipping from my daily walks along the alleyways." Commenting on residents' concerns about Julian Park, she added: "I’ll be using my Member’s Fund to refurbish Julian Park. That will be the sum of £10,000."
Cllr Andrew Dacey said the littering issue largely stemmed from some residents putting their black bin bags out too early in the week - meaning the bags sat on the street for a few days waiting to be collected.
"The black bin bags are put out earlier than required, that leads to seagulls and then rats ripping them apart, the recycling is not great with some residents putting all items into one bag," he said in a statement. "The increased costs to call out the pest controller from £40 to £120 had an adverse effect on the rat population. The last administration voted this increase through and decided to revert this year."
“There’s no shops anymore – and people don’t talk to each other”
As we walked around Aberavon earlier this week, the sky was dull and it was raining. Typical. But we couldn’t help but notice that people who passed each other on the street always smiled and said ‘hello’ – no matter if they knew each other or were strangers. We were also struck by the lovely sight of two retired ladies having a natter on the doorstep of one of their homes. They told us that they had both lived in the area for more than 40 years and had seen scores of people move in and move out of the community. One of the most striking changes they’d witnessed over the years was the demise of shops and businesses, they said.
“There used to be a shop on every street,” one of the pair said. “And one large shop used to have everything. It was a grocery shop and a butchers downstairs and sold shoes and clothing upstairs. It was there for years [years ago]. Now it’s empty.”
'There’s nothing here for kids'
With cigarette butts on the ground of a local park in the ward, few children want to play there., parents say. Instead they play at home or on the street so parents would like to see a new children’s play park or soft play centre built in the Aberavon area, so children have a safe place to play locally with friends and family members.
“We need something for the kids,” said one dad. “A soft play area or sports activities. What we’ve got, the park, well there’s always cigarettes down by the park. We need more for children, the park needs to be re-done.”
Dad-of-one, Chris Avery, said his partner attended local baby groups when their daughter, now 14 months, was younger – but said there were fewer groups around for babies her age now. He’d like to see more activities and facilities in Aberavon for people of all ages, and more investment in the area to help combat the “ridiculous” speeding and littering issues.
Fortunately, the newly refurbished £350,000 Aqua Splash Park is just days away from opening for the season. The attraction has more than 30 water fountains, jets, waterfalls and other water features and is suitable for families with children of all ages. You can read more about it in our previous coverage of the Aqua Splash Park here.
‘I love it here, I’m happy living here’
Helen Morris, 33, said she loved the area because of its location and because neighbours did chat and socialise with each other. She lives with her grandparents in Aberavon and works locally. “Town [Port Talbot town centre] is close, and we’re right by the mountains, Deer Park (Margam Park), the park,” she said, adding that there were plenty of schools within walking distance – though Helen also noted that the new “superschool” (Ysgol Bae Baglan) was more than half an hour’s walk away.
Other residents said they liked the area as they had family living nearby which helped them settle into the area and feel at-home. “I’ve lived here 58 years and there’s a community feeling here,” another resident said. “Lockdown helped bring people together a bit.”
What did Neath Port Talbot Council say?
We raised residents concerns' about littering and speeding with Neath Port Talbot Council. In response, a Neath Port Talbot spokesperson said: "We condemn those behind irresponsible littering. Littering is a nationwide problem costing UK councils many millions of pounds a year and we would ask residents to report littering issues locally directly to us.
"Speeding within our communities is tackled jointly with our partners in the Go Safe Speed Reduction Partnership. Within Aberavon, both Olive Street and Norman Street are part of a wider Safe Routes area where speed limits have been reduced to 20mph. Across the authority we carry out speed data collection on a regular basis, with recent survey work within the Aberavon area revealing that the vast majority of the motoring public are travelling within the legal 20mph speed limit; further data collection to include both Olive Street and Norman Street is programmed over the coming weeks. If you are aware of a litter hot spot, an area or street with a bad litter problem, please contact the Neighbourhood Services Team by email at environment@npt.gov.uk."
