Transport news

Road closures will be in place as the event returns to Cardiff after 20 years

This year’s Community Shield will be played at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, bringing thousands football fans to the Welsh capital. The competition is traditionally played at Wembley Stadium, but pre-planned concerts taking place over August means it is coming to Cardiff.

Arsenal and Manchester City will go head-to-head in the 2026 FA Community Shield at the city centre venue on Sunday, August 16, marking a return to the ground for the first time in 20 years.

The Principality Stadium hosted six Community Shield games between 2001 and 2006 while the new Wembley Stadium was under construction. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here.

Road closures will be put in place across the city centre to ensure the safety of fans. With kick off taking place at 3pm, there will be road closures around the stadium from 10am until 8pm.

Traffic is expected to be busy, especially along the M4 motorway, so drivers are advised to plan ahead.

Road closures

From 7am, Scott Road and Park Street will be closed to prepare Gate 5 and protect queuing fans.

The following roads will be closed as part of the full city centre road closure for the event:

• Kingsway from its junction with North Road to its junction with Duke Street.
• Cowbridge Road East from its junction with Cathedral Road to its junction with Westgate Street.
• Tudor Street from its junction with Clare Road to its junction with Wood Street (access for residents and traders will be permitted via Fitzhammon Embankment).
• Plantagenet Street and Beauchamp Street from their junctions with Despenser Place to their junctions with Tudor Street (access for residents and traders will be permitted).
• The following roads will be closed in their entirety: Duke Street, Castle St, High Street, St Mary Street, Caroline Street, Wood Street, Central Square, Westgate Street, Quay Street, Guildhall Place, Golate, Park Street, Havelock Street and Scott Road.
• Station Terrace and Guildford Street from the junction with Newport Road to the junction with Churchill Way will be access for buses only during the times of the road closures to ensure that there is reliable access for buses.
• Penarth Road will be closed 30 minutes before the game finishes and up to an hour after the final whistle on safety grounds for passengers arriving and departing from the railway station.

Access to part of the Civic Centre will be controlled throughout the day, with access allowed only for event parking, limited commuter parking, loading and access to private car parks.

Roads affected include King Edward VII Avenue, Museum Avenue, City Hall Road, College Road and Gorsedd Gardens Road.

Station Terrace will be closed for two hours, between 4.30pm and 6.30pm to allow Queen Street Station to operate safely.

Trains

Transport for Wales (TfW) will use Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street railway stations with extra capacity on services to and from Cardiff as well as later services scheduled for those working the event.

Fans heading home on Valleys and Vale services will be directed to Cardiff Queen Street station instead of Cardiff Central, but mainline train services will continue to use Cardiff Central, including services to Ebbw Vale.

Queuing will start from 4.45pm at both stations with an accessibility queue available at Cardiff Central.

Cardiff Bus Interchange will close in line with city centre road closures, reopening at 8pm. Both car parks at Cardiff Central will also be closed as TfW prepares for the station enhancements, though the multi-storey car park will remain open and available to use.

Saunders Road Taxi rank will be closed from 9 45am until 11 59pm and St Mary Street taxi rank will close at 10am and re-open at 8pm.

The junction has seen several safety measures put in place after a number of incidents including cars crashing into a house

A junction that’s seen several crashes including incidents where cars have ploughed into a house has had safety measures put in place.

Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) council has confirmed all works have now been completed on road safety improvements at Station Road’s junction with Oxford Street in Maerdy in the Rhondda Fach, responding to recent dangerous incidents where cars have collided with a home.

The bend at the bottom of Maerdy Mountain leading to Maerdy Road has seen several crashes including in April 2025 where a vehicle crashed into a house.

The council has worked with South Wales Police to better understand why one-vehicle collisions kept happening at the location and officers designed a road safety improvement scheme with council capital funding set aside for it.

The work started in mid-June 2026 and has now been delivered by Calibre Contracting Ltd.

It introduces measures to improve highway safety and highlight the 20mph speed limit. Get the latest Rhondda news first by signing up to our newsletter here

Works have included the installation of containment kerbs, reflective bollards and improved signage while an uncontrolled crossing point has been installed and the existing double yellow lines along Oxford Street and Station Road have been extended.

These measures followed improved signage that had already been installed at the location – including gateway signs and countdown markers along Station Road, making the speed limit clear to motorists.

A variable message sign has also been installed opposite the Station Road/Institute Road junction, displaying the speed limit to southbound traffic once it is exceeded by approaching cars.

All temporary traffic management used during the scheme, including the three way traffic lights, has now been lifted.

Last year resident Emma Howells, who lives at the junction, told how cars kept crashing into her home. Between 2024 and 2025 four cars hit Emma’s home.

Last year, before the work to make the junction safer had taken place, Emma said: “They’re speeding up the hill – we hear them every single night of the week. Now I lay in bed and hear an engine rev and all I can think is ‘Is this going in the front now?’ I just worry until I can hear that it’s gone further up the hill.”

Police are appealing for information following the crash on the A48

A woman has died following a crash which left one of Cardiff’s busiest roads closed for 12 hours. Emergency services were called to the scene of a crash on the A48 Eastern Avenue at Llanedeyrn on Monday evening.

The collision, which involved a van and a car, happened on the eastbound slip road at around 6.40pm.

A 41-year-old woman from the Trowbridge area of Cardiff was pronounced dead at the scene, police have since confirmed.

The woman’s family have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers.

South Wales Police said it is investigating the crash. The stretch of the A48 was closed for around 12 hours for collision investigation work before it reopened shortly before 7am on Tuesday.

Anyone who witnessed the crash or may have relevant dashcam footage is asked to contact the force.

A South Wales Police spokesperson said: “Officers were called to the A48 eastbound slip road at Llanedeyrn at around 6.40pm on Monday, August 3 following a report of a collision involving a van and a car.

“A 41-year-old woman from Trowbridge, Cardiff died at the scene. Her family has been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers.

“An investigation into the collision is currently underway. Any witnesses, or anyone with dashcam footage who is yet to speak to officers is asked to get in touch by calling 101 or reporting online quoting reference 2600251702.”

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Stephen Jones was clocked driving way over the speed limit on the edge of a town centre in the middle of the afternoon

A man has been left more than £900 out of pocket after he was caught driving at almost 100mph on a single carriageway road in West Wales.

Stephen Jones, 35, was in his Hyundai Kona on the A4076 Dredgemans Hill on the outskirts of Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire in the middle of the afternoon when he was caught driving at 97mph, despite the speed limit on the road being 60mph.

The incident took place at 2.31pm on October 18 last year. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here.

Jones, of Prioryville, Milford Haven, pleaded guilty to a charge of driving a motor vehicle above the legal speed limit and appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Monday, August 3.

He was handed six penalty points and made to pay more than £900.

He was fined £553 and ordered to pay £130 in costs and a surcharge of £221, making a total outlay of £904.

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The damage from the fire means a reduced service is running on a number of major lines between Cardiff and Newport

Major rail disruption is set to continue for the rest of this week following a fire near the line between Cardiff and Newport over the weekend.

The fire, which broke out next to the railway at Newport on Saturday, has caused “extensive” damage to rail infrastructure, including signalling equipment and overhead electric power.

On Monday, the damage from the fire continued to cause major delays with a reduced service running and passengers warned to check before they travel.

Network Rail has since confirmed the disruption is likely to continue “for the rest of the week”. Always keep on top of the latest Welsh news with our newsletter

In a post on X the public body which operates and maintains rail said: “Due to extensive damage to rail infrastructure caused by the lineside fire between Cardiff and Newport on Saturday, disruption to services is likely to continue for the rest of the week.

“Network Rail is working around the clock to replace damaged cables and equipment so services can return to normal as soon as possible.

“We would like to thank customers for their patience while the repairs take place and apologise for the on-going disruption to journeys.”

At present, some lines between Cardiff Central and Newport remain closed to allow for the extensive repairs to continue. This means that a heavily reduced service is in operation between these stations.

According to Network Rail, the following routes are affected by the disruption:

• CrossCountry between Nottingham and Cardiff Central
• Great Western Railway between London Paddington and Swansea / Carmarthen, and also between Taunton / Exeter St Davids / Portsmouth Harbour and Cardiff Central
• Transport for Wales between Manchester Piccadilly and Pembroke Dock / Milford Haven / Fishguard Harbour, and between Holyhead / Chester / Cheltenham Spa and Cardiff Central, and also between Newport (South Wales) and Ebbw Vale Town

Tickets are being accepted on some bus routes as a result of the disruption, and some rail replacement services are also in place. Full details can be found on the Network Rail website, here.

Arriving home after a long day to find that you can’t park your car on your own property can be very frustrating

Discovering that your driveway is blocked or that someone has parked on your property, such as a neighbour, can really throw off your day and cause a lot of annoyance. Many homeowners think they can just jump into action to sort the problem out, but UK law has specific guidelines on what you can do. Taking action without knowing the rules could result in fines or even legal issues.

If a neighbour parks directly on your private driveway without permission, they are committing civil trespass, which is a civil matter rather than a criminal offence. Because it is a civil matter, the police and local councils generally have no power to intervene, fine, or remove the vehicle from your private land.

Dropped kerbs are subject to more specific regulations than regular parking scenarios. According to the Highway Code, drivers are not allowed to park in front of a dropped kerb that leads to a driveway. Although the Code serves as guidance, the actual enforcement is based on the Road Vehicles Regulations 1986, section 103.

What you should not do

While it is your property, taking direct action can accidentally land you in legal trouble. For instance, do not clamp or tow the vehicle. Clamping or towing a vehicle on private land was banned under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. Doing so yourself is a criminal offence.

Do not block them in. Forcibly parking your car to trap theirs can be viewed as wilful obstruction or a civil wrong. Do not damage the car. Attempting to forcefully push or move the car can make you civilly or criminally liable for criminal damage.

What are your legal rights and options?

If the behaviour is persistent, you have the legal right to hire a solicitor and apply for a county court injunction to stop them from trespassing on your land. If they breach the injunction, it becomes a criminal contempt of court.

You can sue for civil trespass or private nuisance in a civil court, especially if their actions have caused you financial loss or severely disrupted the use of your property.

If you share a driveway, check your Land Registry title deeds. Most shared driveways grant a “right of way” for access only, meaning neither neighbour has the legal right to park on the shared zone and block the other.

Reasons police may or may not help you

If the neighbour parks on your drive, but your car isn’t there, then this is standard civil trespass. The police will not help. According to Nationwide Vehicle Contracts, you should:

• Try to find the driver, particularly if it may be a neighbour’s visitor or a delivery driver
• Take photos as evidence
• Keep records if the issue happens more than once
• Seek legal advice if it becomes a repeated issue

If they park across your dropped kerb and trap your car inside, meaning you are physically blocked from leaving your property to access the public highway, this constitutes wilful obstruction of the highway. In this specific scenario, the police or your local council can intervene under Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) to issue a fine or arrange a tow.

In these cases, you have clear options, according to Nationwide Vehicle Contracts, including:

• Call 101 to report the issue to the police
• Explain if you need urgent access, for work or medical reasons
• Highlight any safety risks caused by the obstruction

Police may act if the situation affects access or safety. You can also contact your local council. Many councils have the authority to issue Penalty Charge Notices for vehicles blocking access to private driveways, particularly if the driveway has a dropped kerb.

What are the best steps to take?

Take clear photographs of the vehicle, the registration plate, and its position on your property. Keep a written log of dates and times if the issue is recurring. Place a civil, non-threatening note on the windscreen stating that this is a private driveway and asking them to move it.

If the vehicle is entirely unfamiliar and left for days, contact your local council to see if it qualifies as an abandoned vehicle, which they have the power to remove. If direct chats fail, consider using a community mediation service before escalating to expensive legal action. Property disputes must be disclosed when selling your home, so keeping things amicable is highly beneficial.

A section of the M4 closed due to a vehicle fire on Saturday afternoon. The busy route on junction 48 westbound from Hendy to Pont Abraham was closed by officers as they attended the scene.

Dyfed-Powys Police asked drivers to avoid the area and find alternative routes for your journey. The route has now reopened.

There was a traffic build up as the South Wales Fire Service dealth with a car that had burst into flames on the motorway.

Follow live updates on the traffic below.

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Officers spotted the driver travelling towards them after they ‘completely ignored’ the road closure

A driver travelled the wrong way down a main road to avoid a closure in place because of a serious crash. Officers from Gwent Police had been at the scene of a serious collision on the A4810 in Newport when the incident happened.

Officers spotted a vehicle travelling on the wrong side of the carriageway towards them. The driver had “completely ignored” the road closures in place and believed this to be their best option to get to their destination, Gwent Police said.

Thankfully the driver came to a stop where investigation work was still ongoing. Never miss a Newport story by subscribing to our newsletter here

A spokesman for Gwent Police said: “Officers spoke with the driver and conducted an inspection of the vehicle and found that two of the tyres were well below the legal limit, with cord exposed.

“The driver was issued with a traffic offence report for driving without due care and attention & using a motor vehicle with two defective tyres.

“The vehicle was prohibited due to the dangerous defects and subsequently seized.”

Emergency services shut the road for around nine hours

A man has died at the scene of a crash as the other driver was taken to hospital in an air ambulance, police have said. Emergency services, including police and paramedics from the Welsh Ambulance Service, were called to a crash involving two cars on the A438 near Clyro, a village in Mid-West Wales, at around 3pm on Thursday.

One driver was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was airlifted to hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening.

The road has since reopened after being closed for around nine hours for investigation work and vehicle recovery.

The surviving driver has been discharged from hospital.

A spokesperson for Dyfed-Powys Police said: “Dyfed-Powys Police received reports of a two-vehicle collision on the A438, near Clyro, at around 3pm on Thursday 30 July.

“Officers attended alongside the fire and ambulance services and the road was closed.

“Sadly, one driver passed away. Next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.

“The other driver was taken to hospital via air ambulance with injuries not believed to be life threatening. They have since been discharged.

“Both vehicles were recovered and the road re-opened at around 1.30am on Friday, July 31.”

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