News
Carmarthenshire Council licensing officers review authority’s gambling policy
THE NUMBER of betting shops and bingo halls in Carmarthenshire has reduced by nearly a third in the last three years, reflecting a shift from bricks and mortar gambling to online, a meeting has heard.
Council licensing officers have reviewed the authority’s gambling policy and recommended no major changes but they acknowledged that nearly half of respondents to a consultation felt there were gambling-related problems in their area.
Licensing officer Emyr Jones told the council’s licensing committee there were 18 betting shops, bingo halls, adult gaming centres, horse-racing tracks, and family entertainment centres in the county compared to 26 three years ago. Eleven of the 18 were betting shops, four fewer than in 2022.
A committee report said a further review of the policy was likely after the UK’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport completed its own review of the 2005 Gambling Act. The previous Conservative government published a white paper in 2023 setting out a range of proposals to reform gambling regulation.
Mr Jones said there has been a shift to online gambling but didn’t have any “hard and fast” statistics about the turnover of bricks and mortar gambling venues in Carmarthenshire.
Cllr Ken Howell asked what online gambling controls there were and said he’d heard stories of children becoming involved and getting into debt. Mr Jones said the government’s white paper was looking at improving online safeguarding.
The council’s gambling policy consultation only led to 24 responses, including one from a licence-holder. It found that 46% of respondents felt there were gambling-related problems in their area. Just under a third of respondents felt gambling by children, young people, and other vulnerable people was a problem in their area. But 83% said they weren’t aware of problems as a result of gambling premises close to schools, sixth form colleges, children’s play areas, and treatment centres for drug, alcohol, and other addictions.
One person who responded said betting shops were “the tip of the iceberg” compared to online gambling but were “the first step for many people”.
Another respondent felt the UK’s approach to gambling was irresponsible. “Why would poorer communities such as Llanelli need more places where they can literally throw away money,” they said. “I’m not against gambling as a whole but the TV adverts and online advertising is out of hand and encouraging poor financial decisions.”
A third person said: “There are at least two gambling premises in Ammanford where as a member of the public I have observed people losing money they did not have – also when people have won money they have got drunk/drugs with the winnings.”
By Richard Yule, Local Democracy Reporter
EMERGENCY services were called after a car crashed into a house on Nun Street in St Davids on Thursday (Apr 24).
Dyfed-Powys Police and Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene at around 4:35pm following reports of a single-vehicle collision.
On arrival, they found that a car had collided with a residential property. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
The road remained open while the vehicle was recovered.
A spokesperson for Dyfed-Powys Police said: “Dyfed-Powys Police attended a report of a single-vehicle road traffic collision where a car collided with a property on Nun Street, St Davids, at around 4:35pm yesterday. No injuries were reported, and the road remained open while the vehicle was recovered.”
POLICE are appealing for information to help locate a 54-year-old man who has been reported missing from the Milford Haven area.
Neil is described as being around 6ft 2in tall with a shaved head. He has tattoos on his arms and one of his fingers, and sometimes wears glasses.
He was last seen on Friday afternoon (Apr 26) wearing a black Superdry hoodie, ripped jeans, and orange and black Nike Air trainers. Neil is believed to be on foot.
Anyone with information that could help is urged to contact Dyfed-Powys Police: 
| Online portal
| 101@dyfed-powys.police.uk
| Call 101, quoting reference 262 of April 26.
Wales joins UK’s largest firefighting aid convoy
MID and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) has taken part in the UK’s largest ever convoy delivering vital firefighting equipment to Ukraine, joining 17 other Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) from across the country.
The convoy, coordinated by FIRE AID and supported by the UK Government, left the UK in early April. It travelled through France, Germany and Poland, delivering over 30 fire service vehicles and more than 15,000 items of equipment to support Ukrainian firefighters on the front line of the ongoing war.
Since the Russian invasion in 2022, UK fire services have donated 119 vehicles and over 200,000 pieces of equipment to Ukraine. Each participating service ensured local needs were met before donating surplus kit.
Watch Manager Rob Kershaw represented MAWWFRS on the convoy. He said:
“It’s been a privilege to be part of this convoy and to represent both FIRE AID and Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
We received invaluable support and assistance from fire and police services across every country we passed through. Their help in coordinating, escorting, and hosting the convoy was outstanding.”
Chief Fire Officer Roger Thomas KFSM added:
“MAWWFRS is proud to support our colleagues in Ukraine by donating and delivering essential equipment.
The events in Ukraine have deeply affected the fire and rescue community, and this convoy is a demonstration of our ongoing commitment to helping those still working under extreme conditions.”
The donated equipment will support firefighters in Ukraine who continue to operate in war zones to save lives and protect property—often at great personal risk. Since the conflict began, 100 Ukrainian firefighters have been killed and 431 injured. A total of 411 fire stations and 1,700 firefighting vehicles have been destroyed.
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