TRAPPED... YET AGAIN

Villagers upset as influx of visitors leads to gridlock

- Andrew Forgrave

A COASTAL village again found itself marooned in a sea of traffic as vistors surged to an iconic tree-lined beach.

Fed-up residents in Newborough, have vowed to take matters into their own hands if the authorities fail to act on a problem that's been blighting their village for years.

Littering is a constant gripe, tempers often flare and villagers report growing amounts of human excrement out in the open.

Illicit camping is a fire risk at 2,500-acre Newborough Forest, which provides a picturesque backdrop to Traeth Llanddwyn and its tidal island.

But it is traffic that poses the greatest disruption risk to a community grappling with overtourism.

On Easter Sunday, some locals reported taking 40 minutes to drive the final half-mile into Newborough after getting caught up in tailbacks, and mourners reportedly struggled to reach St Peter's Church for a funeral service.

Much of the traffic was attempting to reach the 300-space beach car park at photogenic Traeth Llanddwyn.

It’s one of seven car parks within Newborough Forest but all fill quickly on sunny days. Late arrivals queued along a 1.8-mile access road to the beach or parked illegally on the A4080 by the forest.

"The Easter Bank Holiday weekend was an absolute farce," said Cathy Sands, who runs the area's Facebook page.

"Once again, traffic brought the village to a standstill as visitors used it as a giant car park to queue for the beach.

"The place was rammed. Cars were bumper to bumper - it was an accident waiting to happen. This has been going for years but it’s getting worse and starting earlier in the year. What we experienced last weekend was as bad as it's ever been - we're dreading what will happen during the summer holiday season."