THE speed limit on a Monmouthshire road will be reduced after years of campaigning from residents and councillors.

The B4235 in Shirenewton will now drop from 60mph to 40mph as part of conditions passed by Monmouthshire council on the road which is frequently used by motorcyclists.

The order has been put in place to reduce travelling speeds and improve the local environment, as well as creating a safer highway environment for all road users.

The cost of changing the speed limit will be funded from the council's Road Safety and Traffic Management budget.

Last July, the Free Press reported on residents' calls for the speed limit to be changed after a motorcyclist was involved in a road traffic accident on the road near Shirenewton.

The B4235 has also claimed several lives over the years, with the majority of fatalities being motorcyclists.

In 2010, 18-year-old Jack Isaac Meachin, from Bristol, lost his life hours before another fellow biker Jamie Tutt, 26, died on the same stretch of road.

A year earlier, Newport-born Mark David Williams died when he came off his bike after misjudging a bend.

Shirenewton’s county councillor Graham Down has been campaigning for the reduction since he was first election in the ward in 2004 and said he was glad it had been accepted by cabinet member for operations Cllr Bryan Jones.

“It’s well overdue," said Cllr Down.

“I recognise that it is not going to solve the problem of motorcycle noise that is caused by the topography of the road. I recognise that it is unrealistic for the police to be there on a permanent basis.”

In an online post Chepstow police inspector Lysha Thompson said two motorists who cross the road’s double white lines were being prosecuted.

Inspector Thompson wrote: “Blatant disregard for these measures will therefore simply not be tolerated and if any further offences of this nature are reported to us at Chepstow, rest assured they will also be investigated fully.”