WHEN police officers detected what they believed to be cannabis emanating from a couple walking along the beach at Tenby, they requested an on-the-spot search.

This week, District Judge Mark Layton viewed video footage of what officers described as a “scuffle” that broke out when the couple were informed of the search.

Jasmin McNally, 33, and Darren Hopkins, 40, were seen walking near South Beach, Tenby, in the early hours of October 24.

Body-worn footage showed officers stating that, due to the smell of cannabis, they wished to conduct a search. A scuffle then ensued, leading to the couple running toward the South Beach car park.

McNally and Hopkins, of Miles Court Cottages, Leominster, denied assaulting an emergency worker by beating and obstructing a police officer in the execution of their duty. Both defendants chose to represent themselves and elected a Crown Court trial. They will next appear before Swansea Crown Court on December 13.

AN 80-year-old woman is to be brought before a district judge charged with causing unnecessary suffering to 11 donkeys and a pony.

Elizabeth Palmer is accused of failing to provide the animals with adequate and appropriate farrier care at The Retreat, Llethr Uchaf, Crymych, between September 5, 2023, and March 21, 2024. She is further charged with failing to ensure that the animals were kept in a suitable environment with an appropriate diet, adequate dental care, healthy coats, and protection from pain and injury.

Palmer was scheduled to appear before Haverfordwest magistrates on Tuesday; however, solicitor Kevin Withey, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, informed the court that she had recently been involved in a road traffic collision and suffered a fractured sternum. The matter was subsequently adjourned for two weeks.

THE First Minister Eluned Morgan has been pressured on her government’s failure to clear hospital beds in Wales, leading to delays for people seeking urgent medical care.

According to a report from BBC Wales, there are currently 1,600 patients across Wales waiting to be discharged from hospital compared to England where there are currently 12,000.

However, when comparing population sizes, it’s revealed that Wales is performing worse than its closest neighbour, with 0.05% of the population of Wales stuck in hospital beds compared to 0.02% in England.

The Welsh Labour government have been criticised for their failure to clear out backlogs in the system,

The Liberal Democrats have now called on the Welsh Government to provide urgent social care funding to local authorities to help alleviate pressures on the NHS in Wales.

Speaking in the Siambr on Tuesday, The Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS described how over twenty years of Welsh Labour government in Wales had let to a “desperate situation in our NHS, with services nearing breaking point.

Welsh Labours refusal to change their approach and fix a system clogged up by mismanagement is directly responsible for the current situation faced by thousands of patients.

Delays in discharging patients from hospitals are placing huge pressures on both staff and those awaiting care, but there is a way out of this mess and the answer lies in social care.

I have been told by numerous professionals working in healthcare that the first step towards fixing our NHS is made by providing local authorities with the funding to fix social care services within their respected areas.

By dedicating adequate investment into our social care services, we can make life easier for patients discharged from hospital while also lifting the strain on health services throughout Wales.”