RESIDENTS opposing the proposed 1,500-place prison in Cwmbran will step up their protest next week with all-day vigils at the planned site.

The action was devised at a meeting of the Oppose the Prison Action Group on Monday night.

Members of the group say they will maintain a constant day-time presence at the former police training college on Greenmeadow Way in St Dials until the end of the consultation period on October 31.

St Dials councillor and action group member Elizabeth Haynes explained the roadside vigil meant the action group would be easily accessible for residents wanting to sign its petition.

They added the continual protest would also raise their profile by bringing them into the eye-line of anyone driving passed.

Last Saturday saw around 300 people brace wet weather to protest at the 36-acre prison site - and two protest groups on the social networking site Facebook have already gathered more than 1,700 members.

Cllr Haynes said the vigil would take place each week Monday to Friday from around 8am to 6pm with different members of the group taking turns to base themselves at the site.

Cwmbran is one of four Welsh sites proposed by the Ministry of Justice for a new prison, with Wrexham, Merthyr Tydfil and Caernarfon also being considered.

A consultation is open until October 31 and Cllr Haynes says the action group is trying to act as quickly as possible.

The group is currently planning a bus trip to London where a petition will be presented at the Houses of Parliament.

The group is also planning on gaining a stall in Cwmbran town centre to provide another signing spot for the petition.

An online petition and further action group information can be found on the website of Greenmeadow councillor Catherine Lewis at www.greenmeadowward.com.