ROAD and rail chaos hit people heading out of Gwent for this weekend's G8 concerts and protest rallies.

Signal failure in Newport on Saturday caused serious problems for 1,000 South Wales people on their way to the London Live 8 concert.

Cardiff Central station was jammed with stranded people heading to Hyde Park for the big screen broadcast. All trains between Cardiff and Bristol in both directions were cancelled and buses were used to take passengers to Bristol where they rejoined the train line.

South Wales people heading for Wimbledon and Gay Pride were also caught up in the delays.

Twenty busloads of Welsh people hit the roads as well, on the way to the Make Poverty History march in Edinburgh on Saturday.

Buses from Newport to Cardiff were also packed, as people headed for Cooper's Field, Cardiff, to watch the concert on a big outdoor screen.

Back home, Newport music fans who wanted to keep off the roads and stay dry opted for the Live 8 screening at Newport City Live Arena.

Some had come straight from watching the early morning Lions game and were looking forward to a more cheering afternoon's entertainment.

Liam Griffiths, 16, from St Julians , said: "The concert was a good way of getting young people involved. I think it was an important event in history."