TWENTY mile per hour signs have been unveiled on Monmouth and Chepstow residential and town centre streets.

But confusion reigns over the Monmouthshire County Council roll out, as many of the original 30mph signs in Monmouth are still in place, with a 20mph sign even painted on the road surface alongside a faster speed sign.

And while many drivers are under the impression the 20mph limits have gone ‘live’, and are driving more slowly as a result, the Beacon can reveal that the slower speeds are not legally 'live' yet, despite the proliferation of signs.

The council responded to several requests for information right on deadline on Tuesday, to say the signs are still being installed and the public will be informed when the new limits start.

Confused.com? Many drivers are.

A council spokesperson said: “The new 20mph limit rollout is still being implemented on site. Residents and the press will be notified when all zones go live.

“Unfortunately, covers obscuring the 20mph signs have been removed by the weather or others, creating confusion.”

The 20mph signs were first installed across Monmouth before Christmas, before being covered up in black plastic days later.

Confusion grew in the following days and weeks, as the coverings were then either blown off in strong winds or physically removed, until they were all visible again by last week, alongside the old 30mph signs.

The council scheme is phase 2 of a Welsh Government-funded pilot ahead of a full nationwide roll out of 20mph zones in residential streets in September, covering Monmouth and Wyesham, Shirenewton/Mynyddbach, Devauden, Mathern and parts of Chepstow (the town centre and Welsh Street area).

Phase 1 last year covered Abergavenny and the Caldicot Severnside area, where the 20mph speed limits are 'live' and legally enforceable.

Requests were made to the council for information about the situation in Monmouth, both last month and earlier this week, with a response finally arriving on Tuesday.

Some motorists, including driving instructors, said they had been told by the likes of traffic police that the official ‘launch’ of the 20mph limits was on Monday (January 23), which doesn't square with the council's own statement.

Drivers have been left scratching their heads about the new limits, with a new 20mph sign painted on Hadnock Road right alongside a 30mph road sign, prompting one car owner to blast "highways ineptitude”.

Nearby, over the bridge and along the start of the Wye Valley road by Lidls, drivers were left confused at the start of the week by a mix of 20mph and 30mph signs.

And anyone driving through the traffic lights up the Hereford Road along the Parade was faced by a 20mph sign, followed by a 30mph sign 100 yards later (since removed on Friday) and then another 20mph sign just beyond.

Coming from the other direction at the top of the road, drivers see a 20mph sign, followed by a flashing 30mph alert signal , then another 20mph sign.

The start of the 40mph limit through the Buckholt was also moved half-way between the Royal Oak and Manson Lane, followed by a 30mph sign where the old 40mph limit started, prompting concerns that it would be more hazardous for cars going on and off Manson and the even more difficult Withy Lane junction.

The council covered up the 40mph sign in midweek and confirmed that it was wrongly installed before replacing it with a 30mph sign.

At the other end of town across the Monnow, now covered with 20mph signs and council banners declaring 'Safer @ 20', a 30mph sign still stood in the middle of Drybridge Street outside the Green Dragon pub on Saturday (January 28).

Meanwhile, a resident in Catbrook near Tintern has claimed a new 20mph zone there is only being imposed because a cat was run over.

The council has approved making named rural villages, some of which drivers can currently zoom through at 60mph, subject to the lower limit as they haven’t got the number of streetlights to be a “built up area”.

But one resident, who responded to the council’s consultation, claimed Catbrook doesn’t have a problem with speeding, and the call for a “tedious 20mph limit” was started after the death of a cat.

The resident told the council: “I am not aware of any incident in Catbrook in the last 23 years where an accident and harm has been caused by a speeding vehicle. Unfortunately, and sadly for the owners, a cat was run over in the village a couple of years ago.

“I believe this has acted as a catalyst for a campaign from a limited number of villagers for an unreasonably low speed limit...

“A more effective road safety measure might be to sanction people for not controlling their animals rather than imposing a tedious 20mph speed limit.”

The council’s cabinet member for transport, Catrin Maby, has said she is content to introduce the lower limit in Catbrook, and other areas, saying an inquiry isn’t necessary.

Other Wye Valley villages subject to lower limits include Broadstone, Llandogo, Llanishen, Penallt, Parkhouse, St Arvans and The Narth.