A RETIRED nurse from Monmouthshire has a secret weapon against speeding drivers - her shopping bag.

So incensed is Jean Sheldon, of Tintern, by drivers who break the speed limit that she carries a big white carrier bag emblazoned with a 30mph sign whenever she walks to the local shops.

Traffic speeding down the narrow main road in the village - the A466 - inspired Mrs Sheldon to start her protest.

She said: "It's a very dangerous road and it affects our whole quality of life. "The pavements are very narrow. I've seen people step out in the wrong place and nearly get knocked down."

Mrs Sheldon is now making her third 30mph bag. She first took marker pens to a white bag after a near-miss three years ago.

She said: "I almost had my shopping bag knocked out of my hand by a car. First I started carrying a white bag so that drivers could see me. Then I decided to use the bag to remind drivers of the 30 mph limit.

"The sign faces the front and it saves my roadside leg by giving me an extra 20 inches of space.

"It's quite difficult to find big, plain white bags, but I have a secret stash of them. "I get lots of people giving me a thumbs up or saying 'well done'. But equally I get aggressive and rude remarks.

"It's not a campaign, I am just making my own statement."

Mrs Sheldon said her time as a nurse had made her feel strongly about road safety. She added: "It's quite shocking when you lay out children for the morgue and see adults leaving hospital with brain damage."

She said Tintern needed clearer signposting, painted road surfaces and better pedestrian access for locals and the hordes of tourists who visit the historic abbey. Tintern community council and residents have long been concerned with traffic in the village.

Dave Harris, head of highways at Monmouthshire council, said speed cameras used periodically on the road had been successful in combating the problem. He said there were no plans for changes at Tintern this year, adding that the narrow layout and nearby River Wye made pavement widening difficult.