Residents of Wattsville have spoken out about the persistent issue of heavy lorry traffic affecting their neighbourhood, citing vehicle damage, round-the-clock noise disturbances and environmental worries.

Two elected representatives from Caerphilly County Borough Council revealed that a week-long traffic survey recorded almost 900 lorry movements during anti-social hours, including one instance of 311 heavy vehicles passing through the settlement within a three-hour window on a particular morning.

Councillors Jan Jones and Janine Reed flagged that safety worries are escalating and warned that immediate measures are required before someone sustains serious injury.

At a meeting with local residents held at Wattsville Football Club on Tuesday March 31, they reported that heavy goods vehicle traffic has grown by 35 percent since an assessment in 2024, while overall vehicle numbers through the village have risen by 11 percent.

Heavy vehicles now account for one in every twelve cars travelling through Wattsville, Councillor Reed told those in attendance.

One attendee described the traffic situation as absurd and noted that drivers showing minimal respect for regulations had turned the village into the Wild West.

Where traffic management measures have been introduced, fresh challenges have surfaced.

Several locals observed that drivers simply pull into the middle of the road to get around the village’s many speed humps.

Another woman said she feels uneasy about parking on the opposite side of the road because she knew several people whose vehicles had been hit by passing traffic.

A separate resident explained that lorries arriving and departing during night hours created a dreadful noise while locals tried to sleep.

Councillor Reed plans to submit a question to a cabinet member at next week’s full council assembly, pushing for continued monitoring of traffic conditions in Wattsville.

Ahead of that meeting, Councillor Reed observed: A mobility-impaired man who walks with a frame frequently encounters substantial heavy goods vehicles climbing onto the narrow footpaths in Wattsville to allow opposing heavy goods vehicles to proceed – I have reviewed the visual documentation.

She continued: Caerphilly Council’s own traffic assessment has demonstrated significantly substantial volumes of heavy goods vehicle traffic routinely using this residential valley.

Residents ought not to have to endure this hazardous circumstance routinely. This is unacceptable.