Angry villagers 'trapped at home' as tourists gridlock Anglesey beach

Wales Online

25-04-2025

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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, Anglesey, 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. 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.' Sign up now for the latest news on the North Wales Live Whatsapp community
At the weekend, residents reported cars double-parked on double yellow lines stretching half-a-mile along the A4080 between Newborough and Malltraeth. Some villagers were left fuming as visitors parked in residential streets and blocked driveways. Several residents reported being trapped at home for much of Sunday - and said this wasn't uncommon on busy days.
(Image: Llanddwyn & Forest Support Group)
The double yellow lines were added to the A4080 in June 2021 in an attempt to tackle local parking concerns. They weren't weren't universally popular as it meant some residents were unable to park near their homes.
'Since then, traffic wardens have visited the area just once,' said Cathy. "For the double-yellow lines to be effective, they must be properly policed. When they were put down, we were assured this would happen – but it hasn't.
'At the forest, people were even parking across entrances reserved for the emergency services. Fire is a real risk there and the fire service needs good access to prevent the worst from happening.'
Anglesey Council disputes claims about a lack of traffic wardening. In a statement, Huw Percy, the authority's head of highways, waste and property, said: 'Civil enforcement officers have regularly monitored the area, including last weekend, issuing penalty charge notices upon vehicles which are parked on yellow lines and within restricted bays, caused obstructions or compromised safety.'
The council later clarified its wardening of the area over Easter. A spokesperson said: "A parking warden visited Newborough on three separate occasions over the Easter weekend, each at different times.
"During these visits, no issues were identified that fell within the Council's enforcement remit, and as such, no fines were issued. We continue to monitor the area, particularly during periods of good weather when higher visitor numbers are expected.
"We welcome input from the community regarding specific times and locations where enforcement may be needed and are keen to work collaboratively to address any concerns."
Letters written by villagers were this week emailed to Ynys Môn MP Llinos Medi, Assembly Member Rhun ap Iorwerth, local councillors and the head of highways at Anglesey Council. These demanded regular support from traffic wardens in Newborough, and at the neighbouring communities of Malltraeth and Pen-lôn.
(Image: Llanddwyn & Forest Support Group)
'Tow them away'
Many residents want the council to follow the example set by Cyngor Gwynedd around Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and the Ogwen Valley in Eryri (Snowdonia).
Not only were warnings issued here, these were acted upon: as well as scores of fines being issued, in recent years many illegally-parked vehicles have been towed away with support from North Wales Police.
Parking offences have since dwindled and there has been an uptick in the use of the National Park's park-and-ride scheme. Passenger numbers on the Sherpa'r network have jumped 79% compared with pre-Covid.
At Newborough, mitigations such as a park-and-ride service, and overflow parking, are being assessed by NRW and its partners. In the past fortnight, local NRW wardens have been saluted for clamping down on illegal camping in the forest, though the threat of fire continues to hang like a pall over the community
Traffic improvements can't come too soon for the village. After being caught up in Sunday's chaos, one woman fumed: 'Gridlock in Pen-lôn, gridlock coming from Malltraeth to Newborough, gridlock around the village. Took me 30 minutes to get from Tre Rhosyr to Pen Rhos (two streets in the village 0.3 miles apart)! Summer not even here yet! God help us all.'
(Image: Crown copyright/Visit Wales (all rights reserved))
Another resident noted her father was quicker getting to Llandudno on Sunday that it was travelling from Pen-lôn to Newborough. It took him 50 minutes but it could have been longer: as he lives on the beach access road, he was only able to return when family members stopped exiting traffic so he could overtake stationary cars.
Other beach traffic was turned away by traffic management contractors who manned the Church Street beach road. 'The abuse they got was horrific,' said Cathy. 'Some of the language was terrible.'
Last week, Anglesey Council was awarded £2.4m by the Welsh Government for stage two of an active travel scheme between the Malltraeth and Newborough. The aim is to connect the two settlements by extending the Lon Las Cefni network.
The local authority hopes this will help alleviate traffic congestion in the area by encouraging walking and cycling. Many locals remain unconvinced but Mr Percy said Anglesey Council is doing its best to address the issues.
He said: 'The Isle of Anglesey County Council recognises that Llanddwyn has become an increasingly popular destination and is aware of the impact this is having on the local community.
'To help manage this, the authority is supporting NRW in expanding parking provision over the summer months, and remains committed to working with partners and residents on a longer-term solution to ease congestion - though it is acknowledged this will take time.
'The Authority continues to support NRW and other stakeholders in taking proactive steps to minimise the local impact and work towards a sustainable resolution.' Get the best island stories from our Anglesey newsletter - sent every Friday
(Image: Llanddwyn & Forest Support Group)
'No one likes stepping in human poo'
While some villagers want non-local access stopped to Newborough Forest and Llanddwyn beach, most just want solutions, insisting they are not anti-tourist. But when locals stumble across human faeces – and sometimes step in it – this conviction can waver.
Public toilets in the village were closed 13 years ago. A recent public consultation supported their reopening – but residents claim they have been told it will be too costly.
One villager told North Wales Live: 'A friend was recently walking along the beach when he trod on human excrement buried beneath a thin layer of sand. He knew it was human because of all the tissue paper buried with it.
'We're seeing more and more of it in the area because people have no where to go. It's not very pleasant! It was disappointing to see the public toilets won't be reopened. Not for our sakes – we all have toilets at home! Having such a facility here would make it a more pleasant experience for visitors.'
(Image: Llanddwyn & Forest Support Group)
The toilets area is currently used for parking and a recent consultation proposed developing this use. Three options are proposed, including reserving spaces solely for local people. Others proposed mixed use. In all scenarios, the toilet block would be demolished.
But Mr Percy said reopening the toilets has not been ruled out. He said: 'The public toilets have been closed since 2011-12 with the site currently serving only as a parking area for limited local use.
'The council has recently engaged with stakeholders, including local residents, to gain a better understanding of the community's needs and to explore potential improvements for the site. However, it is unlikely that opening the public toilets would influence or have an impact on the behaviours of some visitors in the forestry.
'Reinstating the public toilets is one option under consideration. We will continue to collaborate with Natural Resources Wales, partners and local community to improve the current situation and to minimise the heavy impacts and burden which increased visitor numbers has on local residents.'
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