Missing vessel recovered near shore after coastguard confirms it had been reported lost days earlier

ST DAVIDS RNLI launched on Easter Monday after an upturned kayak was spotted drifting east of Solva Harbour.

The all-weather lifeboat, Norah Wortley, was requested to launch at 11:04am on Monday (Apr 6) after the vessel was seen floating in the water.

Heading into a strong south-easterly wind, the Tamar-class lifeboat made directly for Aber-west. Members of HM Coastguard St Davids Cliff Rescue Team assisted from the clifftop, helping to guide the volunteer crew to the kayak.

As the vessel was lying close to the shore, the lifeboat’s daughter boat was launched to recover it and bring it aboard the Norah Wortley.

Photographs of the kayak were then sent to HM Coastguard in Milford Haven, which confirmed it had been reported missing from Porthclais several days earlier.

That meant there was no need for a shoreline search for the owner.

The kayak was taken to Solva Harbour, where it was handed over to HM Coastguard and secured on the quay wall. The lifeboat returned to station at about 12:30pm.

St Davids RNLI Coxswain Will Chant said: “The timely reporting of a missing kayak by the owner potentially saved an unnecessary search operation. Thank you to members of St Davids Coastguard team for their assistance during this shout.”

Picture caption:

Easter Monday shout: St Davids RNLI recovers a drifting kayak off Solva after it was reported missing days earlier (Pics: RNLI)

New analysis links worsening disruption to heavier rainfall and repeated trouble spots on the network

RAIL passengers in Wales are facing growing delays and cancellations as flooding increasingly hits the network, according to new analysis based on Network Rail data.

Figures obtained through the Freedom of Information Act suggest flood-related disruption affecting services in Wales has risen by around 256 per cent compared with the mid-2010s.

Between 2022 and 23 December 2025, services affecting passengers in Wales generated an average of around 2,366 passenger delay minutes a year due to flooding. That compares with an average of 664 a year between 2014 and 2017.

The analysis, carried out by climate not-for-profit Round Our Way, says train operators serving towns and cities across Wales, including Great Western Railway, CrossCountry, Transport for Wales and Avanti West Coast, have all been affected.

The worst disruption has been concentrated around a number of repeat trouble spots on the rail network, including Machynlleth, Cardiff Central, Bridgend, Bangor and Pontyclun, where flooding has repeatedly interrupted services.

Round Our Way said its analysis of Network Rail cancellation data suggests flood-related disruption is placing increasing strain on the rail network as periods of extreme rainfall become more common.

The group said the figures show not only more major disruption events, but also a worsening day-to-day baseline, with even quieter periods now causing more passenger delay than in previous years.

Gemma Plumb, a meteorologist at Weather Change, said: “It’s clear that train users are seeing more and more disruption to their journeys as a result of heavy rain and flooding, which is hugely frustrating for people who rely on the train network to get around.

“We know that climate change is leading to more extreme weather, including more intense rainfall. This is because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, so when it rains, it rains more.”

Sofie Jenkinson, co-director at Round Our Way, said the rail network appeared to be under “persistent weather stress” as climate change began to have more regular effects.

She said: “This causes significantly more delays to train passengers. But it is also a problem for rail operators, particularly the large inter-city train operators running services into regions of the country that are worst hit by flooding, like the South West, Scotland and Wales.

“The significant rise in delays shows the increased impact of extreme weather caused by climate change, raising concerns about safety beneath the surface of our creaking rail infrastructure for passengers and operators alike.”

Round Our Way said Britain was not adequately prepared for the effects of climate change on everyday infrastructure and called for long-term investment to make the rail network more resilient.

The group pointed to wider warnings from climate experts that rising global temperatures are likely to increase the intensity of rainfall, putting more pressure on ageing transport systems.

Network Rail data used in the study covers the period from 1 April 2014 to 23 December 2025 and relates to incidents classed as flood-related disruption.

A train is recorded as cancelled if it fails to stop at one or more planned stations. Full cancellations are classed as trains that completed less than half of their intended journey, while part cancellations are those that ran at least half, but not the full route, or missed one or more planned stops.

Johnston forecourt hits 194.9p while wide price gaps and rush to fill up pile pressure on motorists across the county

DIESEL prices in Pembrokeshire are edging dangerously close to £2 a litre, with the BP forecourt in Johnston on the A4076 displaying 194.9p per litre.

The latest surge has sparked a rush at some filling stations across the county, as motorists hunt for pumps that have not yet caught up with the steep increases. The Herald understands some forecourts have temporarily run dry as drivers fill up early to avoid paying even more, rather than because of any wider supply issue. That picture fits with national comments from the AA, which said it had seen no evidence of widespread shortages or any increase in breakdowns caused by vehicles running out of fuel.

Pictures sent to The Herald show just how sharply prices now vary across Pembrokeshire.

At Johnston, diesel was 194.9p per litre and petrol 157.9p. At Robeston Wathen, diesel was 187.9p and petrol 155.9p. At Square and Compass, diesel was 183.7p and unleaded 151.7p. In Milford Haven, the Gulf station on North Road was displaying diesel at 179.7p and petrol at 148.7p, while Tesco Milford Haven showed diesel at 181.9p and unleaded at 149.9p. In St Davids, Ocean Haze was also showing diesel at 187.9p, with petrol at 155.9p.

Based on those prices, there is a 15.2p-per-litre gap between the highest and lowest diesel prices pictured — a difference of more than £9 on a 60-litre fill.

The local spike reflects a sharp rise across the UK. RAC data showed average petrol prices reached 152.01p a litre on March 30 — the highest level in 28 months — while diesel climbed to 181.2p, its highest point since December 2022. The RAC said that, compared with the start of the Iran conflict, it was costing £10.55 more to fill a typical family petrol car and £21.35 more for a comparable diesel vehicle.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said the “financial strain” on motorists “continues to build”, while RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding warned prices at the pumps appeared to be on a “one way trajectory”.

The AA’s latest weekly update, based on government data, put average UK petrol at 148.78p a litre and diesel at 176.42p, up from 144.16p and 166.88p the previous week.

The pressure is being felt well beyond private motorists. In West Wales, the wider rural economy is especially exposed because so many people rely on vehicles for work, deliveries and day-to-day life.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales said rising fuel and heating oil prices were placing “additional pressure on rural communities” and increasing the risk of theft. In a March statement, the union said red diesel had risen from about 67p a litre in February to around 109p in mid-March, while heating oil had in many cases more than doubled from around 60p to about £1.30 a litre. It also noted that 74 per cent of homes in Ceredigion are off the gas grid, leaving many households particularly vulnerable to sudden price shocks.

The haulage sector has also warned of the knock-on effect. Swansea Bay News reported that Llanelli-based Owens Group said soaring diesel costs had added around £64,000 a week to its fuel bill. Founder Huw Owen said: “We felt it as a company straight away. With a fleet our size, we burn a tanker of fuel a day. We used to order fuel a week or even a fortnight in advance — now we’re negotiating prices day by day.”

The same report quoted Road Haulage Association representative Geraint Davies warning that higher transport costs would feed through into prices more widely because “everything we buy is moved by road at some point.”

For households, tradespeople, delivery drivers and rural businesses in Pembrokeshire, the latest rise is another heavy blow. In a county where so many people depend on their vehicles every day, sharp increases at the pumps are felt quickly and widely.

One thing is clear: drivers are shopping around harder than ever, and when prices are moving this fast, delaying a fill-up by even a day can come at a cost.

Photo caption:

Johnston prices: Diesel reached 194.9p per litre at the BP forecourt on the A4076 (Pic: Herald)