A PETITION calling for a bypass signed by 3,000 people is being labelled the biggest in a village's history.

The petition set up by the Dinas Powys Bypass Steering Group was delivered to the Welsh Assembly's petitions committee at The Senedd in Cardiff Bay on Tuesday (March 28).

The petition calls on the National Assembly for Wales to urge the Welsh Government to provide the necessary funding and support for the construction of the bypass.

When the petition closed on Monday there were 3,283 signatures which the group says makes it the biggest petition collected in Dinas Powys.

The bypass is not included in the Vale council's emerging Local Development Plan (LDP) and hopes appeared to be dashed last August when the council said that they would not have the funding for the foreseeable future for the bypass, stating they believed it would not solve all traffic congestion issues in the area and that they were looking to encourage more walking and cycling.

But a statement from Ken Skates in the Welsh Assembly in October 2016 said that he wanted to find a fully funded solution to the "unique" issue of the bypass.

A £15,000 traffic study is currently underway in Dinas Powys to explore issues and opportunities and a public consultation was held recently.

The petition was handed to the chairman of the petitions committee Mike Hedges AM along with other members of the committee and South Wales Central AM Andrew RT Davies.

The petition has been organised by Cllr Andy Robertson, Cllr Vince Driscoll and Rod Harrod.

Cllr Driscoll, a member of the Dinas Powys By-Pass Steering Group, said: "We’re very pleased at the support we’ve received and it clearly indicates how strongly the village feels on the subject.

"It’s the largest petition on any subject ever collected in Dinas Powys."

The group's technical adviser Roger Pattenden and chairman Rod Harrod presented a specially compiled briefing paper was also compiled detailing the necessity of the bypass and how obstacles such as the Merrie Harrier junction can be overcome.

The group has previously suggested replacing the traffic lights at the junction with two roundabouts to ease congestion.

A copy will also be forwarded to Ken Skates AM, Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure.

Cllr Robertson added: "Although there have been petitions on the subject before, there’s never been anything of this size."

Emma Reed, head of visible services and transport at the Vale of Glamorgan Council said: "As part of a study funded jointly by the Vale of Glamorgan Council and Welsh Government, council representatives recently facilitated two consultation sessions focusing on the Dinas Powys transport network issues and opportunities.

"The second session was extremely well-attended by the public, with residents putting forward their thoughts and proposals.

"A number of interesting ideas were suggested. These are currently being considered by officers before deciding the best way forward."