A CONCERNED resident has complained that trucks from the Penarth Heights development are causing a hazard on the roads around the town centre.

Dave Goddard, of Plassey Street, isn’t concerned by the trucks themselves - but rather by the mud their tyres cover the roads in as they leave the site.

"There is a mud slalom on the road outside my house," he said.

"My main concern is that on one morning (October 28), a woman was turning on to Plassey Street from High Street, and skidded on the mud across the steep camber in the road - and ended up on the pavement.

"There could have been children around.

"It’s a real hazard and if the temperature drops and freezes over it, it will get worse," he added.

Mr Goddard said he contacted the Highways Department of the Vale Council and was told there should be a cleaning system in place on site to prevent such problems.

"I went up to the site to see if they had a hose or some sort of cleaning facility I could use to wash my car which had been covered in mud from the passing trucks, but they said they didn’t have one - which concerned me even more," he said.

Routine Maintenance Manager for the Vale Council Highways Department, Andrew Gwinnell, said: "Following on from the complaint received regarding mud on the highway, the site was inspected and it was confirmed there was a problem.

"On discussions with the site engineer it came to light that the street sweeper had broken down and took three to four hours to repair."

The problem occurred as the trucks moved soil from the old Billybanks site to Wenvoe Quarry.

Site manager for the Crest Nicholson development, Dave Owen, said: "Obviously we have a lot of stuff to move off site and the materials we are shifting bring their own problems.

"But we are always conscious when we are muck shifting of the possible issues and that is why we have the sweeper out there cleaning the roads from 7.30am to 5.30pm every day."

Mr Owen added that this phase of the development is due to finish soon.

"The muck shifting phase will probably last around a week," he said.

"We will then reduce the amount we are shifting and just do it as and when we need to.

"We decided it was better to do it now during the rainy season rather than do it when it’s really cold and more likely to freeze over."

He also said he would be writing to residents in the area to explain the situation, and added: "The carriageway is being swept regularly, with the sweeper on site permanently."