THE controversial 50mph average speed limit on one of Gwent's most important roads has not been enforced for nearly 18 months, according to police.

Drivers reacted with dismay when roadworks on the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road, between Brynmawr and Gilwern, were finally completed last year, only for the Welsh Government to announce it had made permanent a 50mph speed limit.

Monitored by a series of new cameras on yellow gantries above the road, drivers must travel at an average speed of 50mph along that stretch of road or risk a fine.

But documents shared by Gwent Police following a Freedom of Information request, in March, show enforcement had not yet begun, even though the average speed cameras became "operational" on November 1, 2021.

"The cameras are live but we are in the process of observing the data so that we can understand what level of enforcement is suitable, fair and proportionate," Gwent Police said.

While the police, and Wales-wide road safety initiative GoSafe, are responsible for enforcing the 50mph limit and catching speeding drivers, the Welsh Goverment retains responsibility for setting the speed limit on that stretch of the A465, which is part of the nation's trunk road network.

The Argus asked the Welsh Government if it had set a date for the start of enforcement, and in response, a spokesperson pointed to a Gwent Police assertion that the "Welsh Government are working in partnership with GoSafe to evaluate the levels of traffic that use this road and will begin enforcement once they understand that data".

This is not the first time enforcement of a new average speed limit scheme has hit delays in Gwent.

On the advice of the transport commission set up to improve Newport's traffic network, the Welsh Government dismantled a variable speed limit zone on the M4 between Tredegar Park and the Coldra roundabout between November 2020 and the following February, replacing it with a fixed 50mph average speed limit.

But it wasn't until November 2022 that the M4 cameras were switched on.

Back at the Heads of the Valleys Road, and the completion of the widening project between Brynmawr and Gilwern was initially welcomed by residents and traders who for years had put up with extensive roadworks, regular closures, and drivers using villages as "rat runs".

Along with the improved road there was an assumption the speed limit would be increased from 50mph imposed during the construction period, but this was ruled out by the government who said that was the maximum limit permissible "within the designed and constructed constraints" of the road.

Nearly 300 people signed a Senedd petition calling for a U-turn but their efforts were ultimately unsuccessful.