Richard John and Jayne McKenna, County Councillors for Mitchel Troy and Trellech, have met with the police to discuss rural policing after a spate of break-ins in Mitchel Troy and Cwmcarvan.

The pair met with Police Constable Rhydian Evans and Police Community Support Officer Chris Watkins at the new police station in Abergavenny to discuss policing priorities in the ward.

It comes after a series of break-ins of sheds, garages and outbuildings in Mitchel Troy Common, Cwmcarvan and surrounding areas in the past few months.

The thefts have seen the loss of power tools, equipment and in one instance, a quadbike.

Gwent Police recently announced the arrest of an individual north of Abergavenny in connection with rural break-ins in north Monmouthshire and shared photos of stolen goods in an attempt to trace the lawful owners.

Cllr Richard John said, “We’re grateful to PC Evans and PCSO Watkins for their time and we were reassured that the very limited resource dedicated to rural policing in Monmouthshire is focussed on solving this spate of local burglaries.

“It is understandable that Newport and areas with a high crime rate require a more visible police presence, but residents are very concerned about this recent crimewave and have a right to expect more visibility from the police force.”

Cllr Jayne McKenna said, “This was a very useful opportunity to share our local concerns, both about recent burglaries, but we also discussed the issue of off-road bikers and the minority who use tracks that are supposed to be closed to traffic.

“This is a particular nuisance in Whitebrook, Penallt and The Narth where some bikers are not sticking to lawful routes and are creating noise disturbance for residents. We took away a number of action points on both issues and will work with the communities in the weeks ahead.”