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Family lose everything in house fire

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housefireA HOUSE fire in Haverfordwest this week has left a family homeless and devastated, and with nothing.
Popular residents Damian and Hannah Wilkinson, were not in their living room in the South Court property when the fire started.
Damian explained: “I was in the kitchen when the fire happened and it caught within seconds. I tried to put some water on it but it was quickly out of control and the fire brigade arrived about five minutes later, by which time the whole front room had been gutted.”
When asked what had started the fire he said he was not completely sure.
He described the aftermath: “We are currently staying at a friend’s house and waiting for the Council to provide us with temporary accommodation. The house will need an inspection and a structural check before we are able to begin to fix it. Everything in the house is black from the smoke, the walls inside and outside. You can see the the smoke has even melted some of the light fittings, such was the heat coming from the fire”.
Though the family all got out of the property safely, Damian described what had been lost: “We have lost everything. What we have tried to salvage is charred and black. Our first consideration is to make sure the children have everything they need, particularly clothes.”
His wife Hannah said: “One of my children had asked last night if they could go home to their own bed. What do you say to that?”
Fenton School has offered assistance to the family through their family liaison officer.
Damian continued: “We have friends rallying round and have been offered lots of help, but we are still in shock. Right now I don’t really know exactly what we need. We lost a brand new 50-inch Panasonic television as well as a Play Station 3 and a computer. The computer had everything on it, including all our photos of our children as babies, and our wedding photos. Sadly, we had no home insurance, we couldn’t afford it.”
Whilst the community, including the local school, rallies around the family it seems the staff at the Job Centre in Haverfordwest have taken a different approach.
Damian explained his experience the day after the fire when he went to the benefits office to resume his claim for Job Seekers Allowance.
“I explained about the fire. Obviously, I was still in shock and not capable of thinking about work when I am trying to get our lives back together. However, the person that saw me insisted on me bringing in my login details to carry on looking for work.
‘’I explained the situation and that my login details were burnt in the fire. I also said that I had lost my PC that I use to look for work, which actually melted in the fire, and was told I could use the computers in the Job Centre.”
The Herald contacted Job Centre to find out how their staff thought Damien might be able to look for work when his priority and only concern was to re-establish housing for his family and they deferred the case to the Press Office.
A DWP spokesperson said: “It’s clearly a difficult time for Mr Wilkinson, and we appreciate his ability to look for work will be limited in the coming weeks as a result of the fire at his home.
“We hope the situation improves soon. In the meantime we’ll be giving him all the support we can.”

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Sewage spills: Carmarthenshire the most affected area in the UK

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IN a recent analysis of environmental data, Carmarthenshire has been identified as the UK region most plagued by sewage spills, according to research conducted by the Reboot SEO agency, highlighting a concerning escalation in pollution incidents across the nation’s water bodies. The study, leveraging data from the Environment Agency, underscores a disturbing trend with sewage spills into rivers and seas more than doubling in the past year, rocketing from 1.75 million hours in 2022 to a staggering 3.6 million hours in 2023.

Carmarthenshire, a picturesque county in Wales known for its breathtaking landscapes and rich history, now faces an environmental challenge of considerable magnitude. The locality recorded an alarming 11,195 sewage spills over the course of last year, cumulatively amounting to 86,603 hours of spillage. This surpasses figures from other affected regions across the UK, spotlighting a dire need for robust interventions and sustainable wastewater management practices.

This surge in sewage spills paints a grim picture of the state of the UK’s rivers and seas, with potential ramifications for public health, wildlife, and tourism. The data sheds light on the pressing issue of aging infrastructure and the capacity of existing sewage systems to handle storm overflows, particularly in times of heavy rainfall.

The spotlight on Carmarthenshire’s predicament also prompts a broader discussion on the accountability of water companies, with the study revealing significant disparities in the performance of these entities across the country. For instance, Severn Trent Water was found to have the highest number of storm overflows, with United Utilities not far behind in terms of the total spill hours contributed to the environmental crisis.

The revelation of these statistics has ignited calls for action from environmentalists, local communities, and policymakers alike. There’s a growing consensus on the urgent need for infrastructural upgrades, alongside more stringent regulatory oversight to ensure water companies adopt more sustainable practices.

Local authorities in Carmarthenshire, in concert with environmental agencies and water service providers, are now faced with the critical task of devising and implementing comprehensive strategies to mitigate the impact of sewage spills. This includes investing in modern wastewater treatment solutions, enhancing the resilience of sewer systems against extreme weather conditions, and fostering greater transparency and accountability in the environmental stewardship of water companies.

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Surrogacy: Carmarthenshire solicitor calls for legal reform

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ON the anniversary of the Law Commission’s call for surrogacy law to be overhauled, JCP Solicitors’ Angela Killa, Director in the Family team, is calling on prospective surrogates and parents to better understand the legal rules around this complicated path to parenthood.

Proposing a new regulatory route for surrogacy arrangements in the UK, the Law Commission’s recommendations for the Government puts forward a change to the law so that intended parents would become parents of the child from birth in certain circumstances. Currently, intended parents must wait months to obtain a parental order ¾ which causes stress and anxiety, not to mention administrative difficulties when registering the child.

A Surrogacy Register would also be created under the new proposals, allowing surrogate children to trace their birth origins later in life. Overall, the recommendations laid out in the report would improve regulation of domestic surrogacy to dissuade UK residents from going abroad, as international surrogacy agreements can bring greater risk of exploitation of women and children in some countries.

A year on from the reform suggestions, surrogacy rates continue to rise in the UK – surging by 350% over the past 12 years. Now, legal experts say it is more relevant than ever to understand the full implications of entering a surrogacy agreement.

Angela Killa, Director in the Family team at JCP Solicitors, explains: “In the UK, a surrogate (and her husband or male civil partner, if relevant) are considered the mother (and father) of a child at birth. Intended parents must apply for a Parental Order, which is heard before the Court ¾ making it highly advisable for those involved in surrogacy cases to appoint a Solicitor.

“We often see immense stresses from both the parents and the surrogate, as the current law means that the parental order can take months to obtain which can be incredibly anxiety-inducing.

“For example, intended parents may worry that the surrogate will change her mind or will not give her consent freely, whereas surrogates may also worry that the intended parents may change their mind(s) or make unreasonable demands during pregnancy.

“This feels particularly difficult given the fact that many intended parents are likely to have dealt with a lot of trauma before considering surrogacy: many have faced fertility struggles and may even have dealt with the devastation of failed pregnancies or baby loss. For LGBTQ+ couples, there may have been additional challenges faced due to discrimination or prejudice. Therefore, empathy and consideration is of paramount importance when discussing this issue.”

The government published an interim response to the report in November 2023, with Maria Caulfield MP stating: “While we appreciate the importance of this work, parliamentary time does not allow for these changes to be taken forward at the moment.” Despite this response, legal experts working in surrogacy encourage the Government to take action and fully consider the proposed amendments. 

Angela explains: “The reforms laid out in the Surrogacy Reform Act by the Law Commission may help to ease the stress and pressure for all involved. The Government are encouraged to provide a full response as soon as possible so progress can be made in this important area of law”.

Angela Killa is a member of Resolution, a family law organisation advocating for a constructive approach to family issues.

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Mayor of Bergen visits Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre

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IT was a Mayoral gathering when the Burgermeisterin of Bergen, in Germany, paid a visit to Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre in the company of Councillor Aden Brinn, the Mayor of Bergen’s twin town, Pembroke.

There to meet Burgermeisterin Claudia Dettmar-Muller and her colleague Silvia Bothe were two former Mayors of Pembroke Dock, Councillors Pam George and Maureen Colgan, and trustees and volunteers who run the Centre. Joining them was Pembroke’s Deputy Mayor, Councillor Ann Mortenson.

Trustee Peter Mitchell and colleagues gave a guided town of the Centre which has extensive displays on Pembroke Dock’s rich maritime and military history spanning just over two centuries, and its connections with RAF flying boats.

Pic By Martin Cavaney.

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