THE OUTGOING First Minister of Wales has said that drivers who are 'genuinely confused' about the 20mph speed limits should not be prosecuted.

Mark Drakeford will no longer be Wales' First Minister from March 16, 2024 it has been confirmed. There are only two contenders in the running to replace him as it stands, Vaughan Gething and Jeremy Miles.

Economy Minister Gething and Education Minister Jeremy Miles will go head-to-head for the position of Welsh Labour Leader.

But, earlier this week, Mr Drakeford addressed the current situation surrounding the 20mph speed limits in Wales.

As of September of last year, the majority of residential roads throughout Wales have changed from being 30mph to 20mph.

According to the Welsh Government, the move was made in order to 'help save lives', but was met with immense backlash by the public with over 460,000 people signing a petition against it.

Police, fire and rescue service and the Welsh Government are now said to be taking an "engagement first" approach when it comes to enforcing the 20mph speed limit in Wales.

And, in a press conference held on Monday (January 8), Mr Drakeford said that people who are 'genuinely confused' about the 20mph speed limits would not be prosecuted.

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Mr Drakeford said: "Where people deliberately break the law, where people drive well above 20mph in a 20mph zone, then the law will have to be enforced."

He added: "I think if the police find somebody driving above 20mph and the reason is they are genuinely confused about that - I don't think in those circumstances of genuine confusion the police will move to enforcement.

"If there are examples, genuine examples, where people just have misunderstood that this piece of road that they are on is now a 20mph limit, I think that will be resolved through the way that the police intend to respond.

"But it would need to be genuine confusion, rather than just a claim to be confused."