News
Report that ‘12 year old girls snorting cocaine off tables’ ridiculous, says landlady
THE LANDLADY of a well known Milford Haven pub has hit back at police over a report saying that her establishment should have its licence revoked.
Debbie Haughey, the landlady of The Alma Hotel on Priory Street, received notification from her solicitors on Tuesday that the police are applying to revoke her premises licence.
In a lengthy report, Chief Inspector Blackmore, of Dyfed-Powys Police says: “It’s a poorly run public house. If this record of lock-ins, under-age drinking, violent crime, lack of supervision, serving of drunken customers, non-cooperation and support is not sufficient to merit revocation then it is difficult to see what is. After all, this is not a city centre night club, but a pub on a town side-street that is currently making a mockery of the licensing laws.”
The police report catalogues 66 alleged incidents concerning The Alma, which have come to the attention of the police over the last few years. The report claims that police were informed via a 999 call on October 6 in which “A caller reported 12 year old girls at the Alma on cocaine. There are reports of about eight to ten of them there. Caller goes on to say that he would rather see the place closed down than to go drinking there.”
The report goes on to say: “Unfortunately the police in Milford Haven were not made aware of the incident and therefore not in a position to verify the validity of the report.”
Debbie Haughey told The Herald: “I have a been a licensee for six years, and before running The Alma Hotel, I was in charge of The Haven Hotel on Hamilton Terrace. During my time at The Haven Hotel, and since I have left, it has had a reputation as being difficult premises to manage. I have always maintained a very good working relationship with all of the statutory authorities, specially the police and licensing team at Pembrokeshire County Council.”
She went on to say: “I feel that since there was a change in the police licensing officer things have changed. I do not feel that I have had the opportunity to build a positive relationship with Nigel Hayes, since he took his position replacing Tony Davies, with whom I had a very constructive working relationship.
“I always had the opportunity with Tony Davies, a very experienced licensing officer who had been in the job for as long as anyone can remember, to pick up the telephone and talk to him about any issues or difficulties that I was encountering with my licensed premises. This option is no longer open to me under the new arrangements”
“I have been encouraged by the police and the Council to report all incidents at the premises. Where it would be easy to not report incidents The Alma has a policy of ensuring that the authorities are made aware of hat is going on at all times. However, feel that this policy is now being used against the premises, because the umber of incidents looks fairly high. In fact, it should be noted that this is because of the policy, rather than because of a higher rate of incidents compared to some other town centre pubs.”
Debbie Haughey concluded: “The police have been concerned about drugs at the premises, which I believe are a result of malicious calls to police from rival premises. In a climate where pubs are closing daily, the management of these premises are in competition with the Alma to attract an ever shrinking number of customers.
“This competition leads to false reports, wild accusations and the wasting of police time. This was made evident at the execution of a drugs warrant at the premises by police on the November 10 2012, where no drugs were found. This wasted the time of a dozen officers who were tied up that evening as a result of completely false information from rival establishments. Allegations of twelve year olds snorting cocaine are just ridiculous. If the police believed it was true, why didn’t they attend, it’s a major child protection issue.”
The police went on to say: “Whist the list of incidents at the Alma is concerning it should be recognised that many incidents go unreported – a sobering thought!”
The police are seeking a complete revocation of the licence, or in the alternative a reduction in hours to 11pm closing, the removal of any form of regulated entertainment and the removal of Debbie Haughey from the licence.
Pembrokeshire County Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee will decide the fate of the premises next year.
Entertainment
Superstars of Welsh Wrestling coming to the Torch Theatre
A HIGH-ENERGY family wrestling show is set to bring thrills, spills and plenty of crowd-pleasing action to Milford Haven next month.
From Trecco Bay to Baglan, and from Cwmbran to Milford Haven, the Superstars of Welsh Wrestling are back on the road and preparing to rumble once again.
The popular live entertainment show will arrive at the Torch Theatre for a one-night extravaganza on Sunday, May 17, promising body slams, larger-than-life characters and fast-paced action for all ages.
Since being established in 2005, Welsh Wrestling has built a reputation as the leading wrestling promotion in Wales, staging shows in theatres and venues across the country. Each year, the company performs in front of thousands of fans, offering an action-packed night out aimed at families and wrestling supporters alike.
Audience members can expect an afternoon of glamour, chaos and athletic spectacle, with organisers promising a memorable experience that will have children and adults alike cheering on their favourite stars.
Welsh Wrestling has received glowing praise from fans on its Facebook page, with one audience member saying: “What a fantastic night. My two grandsons loved every minute of the show. A great show designed with families in mind. I will highly recommend this to all friends and family. Thanks for a great evening!”
The Superstars of Welsh Wrestling will appear live at the Torch Theatre, Milford Haven, on Sunday, May 17 at 4:00pm.
Tickets cost £15 for adults and £12 for children. For bookings, call the Box Office on 01646 695267 or visit torchtheatre.co.uk.
Crime
Keeston driver to face trial over A40 driving allegation
Twenty-year-old admits tyre offences but denies driving without due care and attention
A TWENTY-year-old man from Keeston is due to stand trial in Haverfordwest after appearing before Llanelli Magistrates’ Court charged in connection with alleged driving offences on the A40 near Haverfordwest.
Thomas Hayes, of Keeston, appeared before magistrates on Wednesday (Apr 22) in relation to three offences said to have taken place between late on December 26 and the early hours of December 27, 2025.
The court heard Hayes is accused of driving a Volkswagen Scirocco on the A40 between Haverfordwest and Johnston without due care and attention.
According to the prosecution summary, police officers first saw the car at around 10:00pm and believed it was travelling above the speed limit. Officers later reported seeing the same vehicle again and said they were unable to catch up because of its speed.
It is further alleged that at around 1:00am officers saw the vehicle on Freemens Way, Haverfordwest, negotiating a sharp bend at speed and crossing solid white lines onto the opposite side of the road. Police later traced the car after checks through the operations room and located it at a filling station in Johnston at around 1:35am.
Hayes denied the allegation of driving without due care and attention.
He did, however, plead guilty to two separate vehicle defect offences. These were using a vehicle with an incorrectly inflated rear nearside tyre, and using a vehicle with a front nearside tyre said to have had a lump, bulge or tear caused by structural failure.
The case was adjourned for trial at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Monday, August 10 at 10:00am. The hearing is expected to last two hours.
Health
St John Ambulance Cymru sets sights on a more ‘mentally healthy Wales’
ST JOHN AMBULANCE CYMRU has unveiled a range of new courses to help transform the nation’s wellbeing and create a ‘mentally healthy Wales,’ to combat a crisis that currently costs the UK economy millions of lost workdays.
The first aid charity for Wales, which trains hundreds of people in Mental Health First Aid each year, is calling on businesses to integrate it into the core of their operations, treating it with the same lifesaving urgency as physical first aid.
In a recent interview for the St John Ambulance Cymru podcast, Just in Case: Stories from St John, the charity’s Lead Trainer, Belinda James, highlighted the staggering economic and human cost of the current mental health crisis and noted that approximately 17 to 18 million workdays are lost annually due to mental health struggles.
James said the statistics, published by the Health and Safety Executive, were “surprising and upsetting.”
She added: “You think for all of those statistics, for all of those numbers, there’s a person, there are people at the heart of that, who are at home not able to work because they are struggling.”
While physical injuries are often visible, mental health challenges frequently manifest in subtle behavioural shifts. James emphasised that “knowing your colleagues well” is the first line of defence in identifying when someone is in distress.
“If it’s normal for me to be quite chirpy, to be early, to be on the ball first thing in the morning… and then I come in, and I look bedraggled, and I look stressed, and I’m snappy… that would be a good time to just say, is everything all right?”
She noted that other “hidden signs” include withdrawal, changes in eating or sleeping habits, and increased substance use, such as stepping out for more frequent cigarette breaks.
The push for better training comes as society navigates a generational divide in how mental health is discussed. James noted that workplaces are currently “caught in the mix” of the “make do and mend” generation and the younger “snowflake” generation.
“We live in a society that’s like, ‘Oh God, no, don’t address that. Don’t talk about the hard stuff. Chin up,” James observed.
However, she argued that directness is often what saves lives. “It is so much more validating to hear somebody say to you, ‘You are going through a really tough time at the moment. I’m so sorry. That must be very difficult to handle.”
As the UK faces gaps in mental health service provision, many individuals are turning to Artificial Intelligence for support – a trend James views with caution. While AI can be a “fantastic tool for signposting,” she warns that it lacks the essential component of empathy.
“It cannot understand human emotion. It won’t pick up on a human emotion,” she said. “The last thing that we want is for them to be led astray by an AI language program that cannot understand the depths of human emotion”.
St John Ambulance Cymru provides Mental Health First Aid Wales-certified training designed to give people the skills to recognise signs of mental ill-health and provide initial support until professional help is received.
These courses are evidence-based and cover critical topics, including depression, anxiety, psychosis, and crises such as suicidal thoughts and panic attacks.
The curriculum includes:
- Mental Health First Aid (2 Days): The flagship 12-hour course teaching adults how to support friends, family, and co-workers. Participants learn the “Mental Health Action Plan” and gain the confidence to intervene in crises like non-suicidal self-injury or traumatic events.
- Mental Health Advocate (1 Day): A course for those looking to proactively champion wellbeing and reduce stigma in their organization.
- Mental Health Awareness (1/2 Day): A foundational session to build empathy and understanding of what mental health is.
- Mental Health for Managers: Specifically designed to help leadership recognise indicators of stress and manage the unique pressures of supporting a team.
For more information on Mental Health First Aid training or to book a course, visit www.sjacymru.org.uk/en/courses/MHFA
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April 10, 2026 at 10:07 pm
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