Local Government

‘We’re treated like schoolkids’: Bin workers lift lid on chaos at Pembrokeshire Council

Published

3 months ago

September 10, 2025

Staff shortages, overloaded routes and low morale blamed for recycling crisis

A PEMBROKESHIRE bin worker has spoken exclusively to The Herald, describing “a shambles” inside the county’s waste service as missed recycling collections mount across Milford Haven, Hakin and beyond. His account has since been independently verified by another member of staff who contacted us by phone, confirming the same issues across the service.

The revelations come after widespread disruption at the end of last month (Aug 29) left streets across Milford without collections for the second or third week running. Pembrokeshire County Council has cited “operational issues” including vehicle breakdowns and staff shortages, and urged households to keep recycling bags out until Monday (Sept 1) when crews “aim to recollect.”

***Uncollected waste: Bags and boxes have been left on the roadside as crews struggle to keep up (Image: PCC)***

Inside the routes

Frontline staff told The Herald that crews are being forced to take on far more properties each day than intended.

One worker said: “Routes were designed for 750 to 800 houses. Some of us are now covering 1,200 plus, then being told to help mop up other routes on top. We’ve been told since Christmas 2023 that routes would be restructured, but nothing has changed — and more new estates have been built in that time.”

They described the physical toll of filling lorries to capacity and the demoralisation of being pushed to do more: “It’s head down all day, necks and shoulders taking a hammering. When we finish our route we’re told to go back out and do more. Holidays are refused, and lads need long weekends just to recover. Morale is on the floor.”

Management criticised

Workers were scathing about the current leadership of the service.

One said: “During the pandemic we worked through with a different management team and there were no major issues. Now it’s army-style management. There’s no interaction. Our head of service, Craig Meachem, we’ve barely seen him in two years. We raised grievances, he came to one meeting out of six. It’s do as I say and that’s it.”

The same worker claimed: “He said at a scrutiny meeting he rolled his sleeves up and helped. That happened once, for two hours. Our old manager would be in at 6:00am with us, driving routes and loading when needed. Nothing like that now.”

Vehicles and welfare

***Mounting pressure: Crews say they are at breaking point*** ***(Pic: PCC)***

While council leaders blame vehicle breakdowns, staff said that was only part of the story.

“There are days we’ve had five lorries ready but no crews to man them. They’ve even tried to send out a truck with just a driver. We refused — they promise help but it never turns up.”

Working conditions were also described as inadequate.

“In hot weather there’s no water supplied — we rely on residents giving us a drink. In wet weather we sweat inside our gear, then there’s one small drying cabin for 20 people, one shower for 100 staff. Most of us sit in the lorries with heaters on. Other councils let supervisors make welfare decisions. Here they’re reprimanded. We’re even locked in the compound until a supervisor lets us out, like schoolkids.”

Mental health strain

Staff say morale is collapsing under the strain, with sickness becoming a vicious circle.

“We are being totally demoralised. The only option for many is to go sick, which just makes things worse for those left. We tried to communicate, but management stopped listening.”

They also highlighted abuse from the public: “We’ve been assaulted, sworn at, had things thrown at us. Management wonders why there’s a mental health problem.”

Recruitment and turnover

According to workers, staff churn is worsening the crisis.

“They’ve taken on about 50 people in the last year, most lasting two days. One lasted one day and couldn’t even tie their bootlaces. It just puts more pressure on the rest of the crew.”

Streets missed

Over the last ten days, locals responding to The Herald’s call for information listed more than 30 streets where collections were missed, including Coombs Drive, Picton Road, Pill Road, Vicary Crescent, Dairy Park Grove, St David’s Close, Observatory Avenue, Silverstream Drive, Murray Road, Yorke Street, Hubberston Court, Wentworth Close, Hilton Avenue, Waterloo Road, Court Rise, Nubian Crescent and Mills Drive in Neyland.

Council response

Pembrokeshire County Council issued a statement to The Herald in response to the allegations. A spokesperson said:

“With the assistance of the public, Pembrokeshire County Council has consistently been among the top recycling authorities in Wales over recent years and together we can continue to improve recycling rates. We recognise there have been instances of missed collections over recent weeks, and we wish to apologise to the public for the disruption and thank them for their patience and support.

“We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our Waste and Recycling crews who are working extremely hard and doing their best every day to provide a safe and effective collection service while minimising disruption.”

The council added that:

Routes are “planned to consider vehicle size, crewing, population density and depot locations” and were designed with support from WRAP Cymru. It said it “does not consider routes to be overloaded” but confirmed that further reviews are planned.
In the last 12 months, 15 staff have left and 15 have been recruited, with all vacancies currently filled.
Staff welfare is supported through HR policies, engagement events, a dedicated HR officer for mental health, and new welfare facilities at the Eco Park depot.
The council said it updates its dedicated webpage with information when collections are disrupted, and aims to return within 48 working hours.
Disruptions, they added, represent “less than 1% of the five million collections” carried out each year.

The council also pointed to “financial challenges” facing the authority and said the summer tourist season had added to pressure on frontline services.

The statement concluded: “We would like to thank the communities of Pembrokeshire for their patience and continued support.”

Local Government

Call for Return of Salt Tip in North Pembrokeshire to Improve Winter Road Safety

Published

1 hour ago

December 13, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A PROPOSAL for the reinstatement of a salt tip in North Pembrokeshire to improve road safety during snowy and icy conditions has been put forward by local councillor Huw Murphy.

At the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, Cllr Murphy called for a review of the council’s current weather strategy, highlighting the need for an auxiliary salt tip in the north of the county. His motion, which was supported by senior councillors, aims to address the challenges faced by motorists during severe winter weather.

Cllr Murphy’s motion emphasized the importance of having a reserve salt tip available to ensure primary routes remain clear and accessible during snow and ice conditions. This would allow emergency services to respond to calls, key workers to reach their workplaces, and essential vehicles like HGVs to access farms for activities such as milk collection.

Historically, a salt tip was located near Crymych, which proved invaluable for gritting roads, particularly the A478 between Crymych and Cardigan, and between Crymych and Clunderwen. These roads, often treacherous during snowy weather, have caused difficulties for HGVs, coaches, and school buses in the past.

The proposal stresses that a new salt tip in Pembrokeshire would allow for quicker and more regular gritting, making roads safer for all users, especially during the harshest winter conditions. Cllr Murphy also highlighted that recent heavy snowfall exposed weaknesses in the current gritting strategy, particularly in the northeast of Pembrokeshire and the Preseli Mountains, which are most prone to severe weather.

The motion also called for prompt gritting and the deployment of snow ploughs on key routes, including the A478, A487, B4332, and B4329, which are vital for the local communities in the northeast and Preseli areas.

The county council’s Cabinet will now consider Cllr Murphy’s motion for further review.

Local Government

Carmarthenshire welcomes new council leader

Published

2 days ago

December 12, 2025

Tom Sinclair

New Cabinet confirmed following Full Council meeting

COUNCILLOR Linda Evans has been appointed Leader of Carmarthenshire County Council and Chair of the Cabinet following a meeting of Full Council on Wednesday (Dec 10).

A long-serving Plaid Cymru councillor for the Llanfihangel-ar-Arth ward, Cllr Evans has served on the authority since 2008 and has been a Cabinet Member since 2015.

Her appointment was formally confirmed during the meeting, where she also announced her Cabinet team — a 10-member executive responsible for the council’s overall business. The Cabinet meets fortnightly to make key decisions and recommendations to Full Council and, in some cases, decisions can be taken individually by Cabinet Members.

All members of the previous administration have retained their roles, with one change: Cllr Emlyn Schiavone joins the Cabinet as the new Cabinet Member for Homes.

The full Cabinet is as follows:

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Leisure, Culture and Tourism: Cllr Hazel Evans
Cabinet Member for Education: Cllr Glynog Davies
Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs, Communities and Welsh Language: Cllr Carys Jones
Cabinet Member for Organisation and Workforce: Cllr Philip Hughes
Cabinet Member for Resources: Cllr Alun Lenny
Cabinet Member for Homes: Cllr Emlyn Schiavone
Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste and Infrastructure Services: Cllr Edward Thomas
Cabinet Member for Integrated Health and Children and Adult Social Services: Cllr Jane Tremlett
Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Sustainability: Cllr Aled Vaughan Owen
Leader of the Council: Cllr Linda Evans

Speaking after her appointment, Cllr Evans said:
“It’s an honour to be elected as Council Leader and I look forward to working with the Cabinet and all members across the chamber for the benefit of the residents of Carmarthenshire.”

Climate

Urgent calls for action on Pembroke Commons flooding

Published

2 days ago

December 11, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

TWO PEMBROKESHIRE councillors have submitted an urgent call for action following recent heavy flooding in parts of Pembroke.

Pembroke councillors Aaron Carey and Jonathan Grimes have submitted an urgent notice of motion ahead of tomorrow’s December 12 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council following heavy flooding in the town’s Commons and Castle Pond area.

The notice of motion covers six points.

“That this council notes with concern the repeated and increasingly severe flooding experienced in our coastal, estuarial and river-fringe communities over recent weeks — in particular the flooding events affecting the Commons/Castle Pond area.

“That the council further notes that, according to correspondence from the Coastal, Rivers & Drainage Team Manager, the tipping gate at the barrage remains out of operation until mid-January due to mechanical issues; meanwhile high tide, heavy rain, wind-driven tidal surges and overspill at the sluice have combined to overwhelm the drainage/outfall infrastructure.

“That we recognise the current maintenance schedule (delayed till after the summer season) and the justification given — but further that such planning failed to foresee the likelihood of severe winter storm and surge events, which climate change makes more frequent and more intense.

“That this council therefore calls on the Cabinet to commission an urgent review of:

The adequacy of the current drainage/outfall and tidal-sluice infrastructure (barrage tipping gate, sluice/sluice-valve, flap valve, outfall capacity) for current and projected climate/tide conditions.
The maintenance scheduling policy for coastal and estuarial flood-risk assets, with a view to ensuring critical maintenance is completed before winter high-tide / storm-surge season, rather than — as at present — being delayed until after summer for ‘recreational / biodiversity’ reasons.

“That, pending the outcome of the review, the council should allocate appropriate emergency capital funding to remediate the barrages / sluices / outfalls at risk of failure or blockage — to safeguard residents, properties, highways and public amenities from further flooding.

“That, further, this council resolves to publish a public flood-resilience plan for the county, identifying all coastal and river-fringe ‘hotspots,’ maintenance schedules, responsible teams, and a transparent timeline for upgrades or remedial works — so residents have clarity and confidence in flood prevention measures.”

The submission also includes a question for Cabinet Member Cllr Rhys Sinnett.

“In light of the repeated flooding events across the county – including the recent overflow at Castle Pond and the acknowledgement by your own Coastal, Rivers & Drainage Team that the barrage tipping gate remains inoperable until mid-January can you explain what assessment has been made of the adequacy of our tidal outfall infrastructure in the face of current and projected future storm surges and sea-level rise?

“If no such assessment has yet been undertaken, will you commit now to commissioning an immediate structural and risk-capacity audit, with a report to full council within three months, and with proposals for funding any remedial works required — to avoid recurring damage and disruption to residents, highways, and public amenities?”