PEMBROKESHIRE and Carmarthenshire have been named among the worst-affected areas in England and Wales for accidental deaths, according to new figures from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

Newly-published data shows Pembrokeshire recorded an accidental death rate of 55.18 per 100,000 people in 2023, with Carmarthenshire close behind on 55.15. Both figures are rounded to 55 and place the two west Wales counties in the top 10 highest local authority areas across England and Wales.

Pembrokeshire ranked eighth on the list, while Carmarthenshire was ninth.

The figures form part of RoSPA’s latest Annual Review of Accidents, which warns that preventable deaths and injuries are continuing to rise across the UK.

Wales as a whole recorded an accidental death rate of 44.25 per 100,000 people in 2023, far above the UK-wide figure of 33.97. Only Scotland recorded a higher national rate.

The report paints a worrying picture for Wales, where RoSPA says accidental deaths have risen by 43 per cent over the past decade and now claim more than 1,200 lives a year.

Falls remain the biggest single cause of accidental death. In Wales, 733 people died in falls in 2023, up from 560 the previous year. That equates to a fatal falls rate of 23.15 per 100,000 people across the country.

The local breakdown suggests falls are also a major factor in west Wales. Pembrokeshire recorded a falls death rate of 28.79 per 100,000, while Carmarthenshire stood at 27.31. Carmarthenshire also had a notably higher accidental poisoning death rate than Pembrokeshire.

Across the whole of the UK, RoSPA estimates around 23,000 people died in accidents in 2023, while almost 900,000 people were admitted to hospital because of accidental injuries in 2023–24.

Becky Hickman, chief executive of RoSPA, said too many families were suffering life-changing loss from incidents that could often have been prevented.

She said: “Accidents devastate lives in an instant.

“They are often sudden, violent, and shocking, leaving families and communities to cope with consequences that can last a lifetime.

“What makes this devastation even harder to bear is the knowledge that so many of these incidents are entirely preventable.”

RoSPA has called for stronger action from governments across the UK, including a national strategy to reduce accidental deaths and serious injuries.

Ahead of the 2026 Senedd election, the charity has also launched its Stronger, Safer Wales campaign, urging the next Welsh Government to treat accident prevention as a major public health priority.

The charity says the risks in Wales are particularly acute in areas such as falls, accidental poisonings, rural roads, machinery-related incidents and water safety.

Ms Hickman said: “Our Annual Review of Accidents shows we are still not doing enough to reduce avoidable harm, life-changing injuries and personal tragedies.

“From our roads to our workplaces, the homes we live in to where we spend our leisure time, people in Britain are at increasing and unacceptable risk of suffering a serious accident.”

Five-year project beneath Pembroke Castle could transform understanding of prehistoric Britain

A MAJOR new archaeological project has been launched at Wogan’s Cave beneath Pembroke Castle after experts revealed the site may hold one of the most important prehistoric records in Britain.

The hidden cavern, tucked beneath the northern side of the medieval fortress, is now at the centre of a five-year exploration which archaeologists believe could rewrite part of the story of ancient Britain.

At the heart of the excitement is the discovery of hippopotamus bones dating back around 120,000 years — a striking sign that animals now linked with far warmer climates once lived in what is now west Wales.

Researchers say the cave has also produced remains of mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, reindeer and wild horse, along with evidence of repeated human occupation stretching back more than 100,000 years.

The new project will be led by the University of Aberdeen, with support from Pembroke Castle Trust, after fresh funding was secured for a detailed programme of excavation and analysis.

Lost world beneath the castle

For many years, Wogan’s Cave was thought to have been largely emptied by Victorian excavations, leading archaeologists to believe that little of major significance remained.

That assumption has now been turned on its head.

More recent work has shown that large areas of sediment survived intact, preserving a valuable archive of prehistoric life, changing climates and early human activity. Experts now believe the cave may contain evidence spanning several different periods of occupation, making it one of the most important sites of its kind in Britain.

The finds point to a landscape dramatically different from the Pembrokeshire seen today, with warmer periods supporting animals such as hippos and colder phases bringing species including reindeer and woolly rhinoceros.

Experts are particularly excited by signs that the cave may hold extremely rare evidence of early Homo sapiens in Britain, alongside traces of even earlier human occupation, probably by Neanderthals.

Scientific techniques

The five-year investigation is expected to use advanced scientific methods including high-precision dating and DNA analysis from bones and cave sediments.

Archaeologists hope this will help answer major questions about how prehistoric humans lived, how they responded to huge swings in climate, and how different groups may have used the cave over tens of thousands of years.

The project also promises to shine a new light on Pembroke Castle itself, which is already internationally famous as the birthplace of Henry Tudor.

Until now, the castle’s story has largely centred on its medieval significance. But the latest discoveries suggest the headland on which it stands was important to humans and animals for many thousands of years before the first stone walls were ever raised.

National importance

Castle staff have welcomed the new phase of work, saying the discoveries add an extraordinary new chapter to Pembroke’s already rich history.

There is also strong local importance, with finds from the cave expected to be curated and kept in Pembroke.

Wogan’s Cave has long fascinated visitors, but the latest announcement is likely to push it firmly into the national spotlight.

What was once seen as a largely exhausted chamber beneath a famous castle is now emerging as a prehistoric time capsule — one with the potential to reshape understanding of ancient Britain.

If the full promise of the site is realised, Pembroke may become known not only for its medieval past, but for preserving one of the deepest and richest records of prehistoric life yet discovered anywhere in these islands.

WELSH First Minister Eluned Morgan has called on the UK Government to halt the controversial deep space radar project at Pembrokeshire’s Cawdor Barracks, describing the USA under Donald Trump as an unreliable ally.

In a pre-application consultation, ahead of a formal planning application, The Ministry of Defence wants to install 27 radar antenna and a long list of associated works at Cawdor Barracks, Brawdy for a worldwide network of sensors called the Deep Space Advanced Radar Concept (DARC) to track active satellites and other objects would utilise three sites worldwide, part of the AUKUS trilateral security partnership, in the USA, the UK and Australia “enabling 360-degree coverage of the sky at all times of day and under any weather conditions”.

In late 2023, Cawdor Barracks was identified as the preferred UK site by the-then UK Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps.

A supporting statement accompanying the pre-application consultation, through Montagu Evans LLP says: “The Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability proposal will enhance the UK’s ability to detect, identify, and track objects in Earth orbit, including satellites, space debris, and potential threats.

“This capability is vital for ensuring the resilience of UK space systems, enabling the UK to secure attribution, maintain stability and provide information for managing emerging challenges. Fundamentally, the project forms a key site that will support wider international space traffic management and enhance collective international security.

“As part of the ongoing investment into this domain, the UK has been working with its allies to identify a location for a new deep space monitoring facility to protect and defend both military and civilian infrastructure that supports our way of life.”

St Davids City Council members recently unanimously opposed the proposals, and public objectors have raised concerns with protests recently taking place outside Brawdy Barracks and County Hall, Haverfordwest.

Labour Senedd candidate Eluned Morgan for the new Ceredigion Penfro constituency, who hopes to be re-elected as Senedd Member and First Minister in the May 7 elections, said: “I’m calling for the DARC defence project in Pembrokeshire to be halted.

“The United States under Donald Trump is not the partner it once was. Talk of targeting civilians, undermining our allies, and diminishing the sacrifice of our armed forces is not the conduct of a reliable ally.

“I believe in international alliances. I believe in collective security. But there is a clear difference between standing with our partners and giving a free pass to a US President who has threatened war crimes and shown contempt for our country.

“I’m urging the UK Government to halt our involvement in the AUKUS radar project until we can be confident those partnerships reflect our values and our security interests.”

She added: “Trump’s hostility towards the UK and verbal attacks on our nation in the light of the Prime Minister’s refusal to give the US President support in the attack on Iran should lead us to pause our involvement in this proposal.

“His threats to annihilate the Iranian civilisation reached a new low recently and we should not be associating ourselves with such an unreliable partner who threatened war crimes on civilians, and have insulted UK armed forces in terms of their commitment to fight in Afghanistan.”

The pre-application consultation has recently ended, with a formal application to Pembrokeshire County Council expected at a later date.

However, Labour MP for Pembrokeshire Henry Tufnell took a very different view: “I’m concerned that the First Minster appears to not want the local jobs and economic growth on a project that is unlikely to be operational until after the Trump administration.

“Our community here in Pembrokeshire has always played a pivotal role in the UK’s defence and the DARC project represents the next chapter in our proud heritage.”