21-year-old tested over cannabis limit after being stopped for not wearing seatbelt

A NARBERTH motorist has been disqualified from driving after being caught behind the wheel after consuming cannabis.

Ethan Williams, 21, was stopped by on-duty police officers while driving his Volkswagen Golf along Jesse Road, Narberth, just after 9:30am on Thursday, November 7.

“The officer’s attention was initially drawn by the fact that he wasn’t wearing a seat belt,” Crown Prosecutor Nia James told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.

Subsequent checks revealed that Williams’s vehicle was not covered by third party insurance, while a roadside drugs swipe tested positive. Further blood analysis showed he had 7 micrograms of Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol in his system. The legal limit is 2.

Williams, of Rhywoga, Clynderwen, pleaded guilty to drug-driving and using a vehicle without third party insurance.

He was represented by Fenn Richards, who told magistrates the defendant smoked cannabis “quite regularly” after losing both his mother and his grandfather.

“He used cannabis as a coping mechanism,” she said.

“But he’s now working on reducing his cannabis intake, to the point where he didn’t believe he’d be over the limit on the day of the offence.”

Williams was disqualified from driving for 12 months. He was fined £120 and ordered to pay £85 court costs and a £48 surcharge.

32-year-old said he believed appointment was voluntary after testing positive for cocaine

A HAVERFORDWEST man has been fined after failing to attend a mandatory drugs assessment following a positive test for cocaine.

Phillip Carroll, 32, of Gerald Road, Haverfordwest, had been required to attend the assessment after testing positive for the Class A drug at Haverfordwest police station on Friday (Oct 24, 2025).

“He didn’t realise this was a compulsory assessment, but believed it was voluntary,” his solicitor, Fenn Richards, told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.

Carroll pleaded guilty to the offence.

Magistrates fined him £80 and ordered him to pay a £32 surcharge. No prosecution costs were awarded, with the court stating the matter should have been dealt with at an earlier hearing.

A HEATED exchange in the Senedd has laid bare growing tensions over the future of hospital services in west Wales.

During the final First Minister’s Questions session, Paul Davies MS challenged First Minister Eluned Morgan to intervene and stop Hywel Dda University Health Board from removing services from local hospitals.

Mr Davies told the Senedd: “Residents across west Wales are understandably upset and angry at these decisions to strip services from their local hospitals.

“They want the Welsh Government to stand up for them and stop the health board from removing those vital services.”

He said he had repeatedly called on ministers to act, adding: “I have asked you time and time again to work with me and stand up for the people of west Wales… will you now intervene and stop the health board removing services from west Wales, yes or no?”

First Minister rejects intervention

In response, the First Minister acknowledged public concern but refused to commit to direct intervention.

Eluned Morgan said: “I recognise that communities are very upset about the situation. I understand that people are committed to their local services.

“These services are deeply valued and they’ve got to remain safe. They’ve got to be sustainable. They’ve got to be deliverable.”

She stressed that decisions must be based on clinical advice, adding: “This has got to be a decision that is clinically led and really thinks about the objectives that it’s trying to achieve to get people better.”

Accusations of ‘spin’

The First Minister also accused Mr Davies of misrepresenting proposals around Withybush Hospital.

She said: “What about the spin that you put up… to say that emergency departments in Withybush were actually going to close?”

She pointed to planned improvements, including expanded orthopaedics, increased cancer care, seven-day diagnostics, and enhanced same-day emergency care.

“You fail to mention this every time you talk, Paul,” she added.

Ms Morgan then challenged the Conservative MS directly, asking: “Do you agree that we should have a brand new hospital in west Wales? Yes or no?”

Key election issue

The exchange underlines how healthcare in west Wales — and particularly the future of services at Withybush Hospital — is becoming a key battleground ahead of the upcoming Senedd election.

Concerns over service changes, travel times, and hospital capacity have been repeatedly raised by campaigners and politicians across the region.