AN ENGINEERING firm has launched an internal investigation after a video circulated online over the weekend which is said to show a senior member of staff at the Pembroke Dock firm making comments described as racist.

The video was uploaded to YouTube and TikTok by DJ Clips UK. In the footage, a member of staff is heard saying he was concerned about a drone being flown in the area because of travellers nearby.

He is quoted as saying: “There are gypsies down the corner, and we just don’t want stuff going missing.”

In response, members of the traveller community have erected a banner outside the company’s gates accusing the firm of “racial abuse”.

Jenkins & Davies Engineering has since issued a public statement acknowledging the video and apologising to those affected.

The company said it was “aware of a video circulating online involving comments made by a senior member of our team” and added: “The message stated was inappropriate and does not reflect our values or the views of the company.”

It continued: “We recognise the hurt and offence this has caused to members of the community, and we would like to sincerely apologise to anyone affected by these unwarranted comments.”

The firm said it takes discrimination “extremely seriously” and confirmed the employee involved had been removed from all duties while a full investigation is carried out.

Charlie Price, described as a prominent voice within the local traveller community, said he believed the remarks were racist and that the response so far had not gone far enough.

He said: “What was said was not acceptable in 2026. We are not happy at all and we see they put an apology on Facebook with the help of their fancy £300 an hour solicitors in Cardiff, but we wants them to come out and give us an apology in person.”

The company statement was signed by managing director R Barnard.

MID and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service says registering appliances is free, quick, and could help households receive urgent safety alerts or recalls.

MID and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service is urging households across the region to register their white goods and other electrical appliances as it backs Register My Appliance Week, running from Monday, January 19 to Friday, January 23.

The campaign encourages people to sign up items such as washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers and smaller appliances so manufacturers can contact owners quickly if a fault is discovered or a product recall is issued.

The fire service said it had attended 40 incidents involving faulty white goods over the past 12 months, and believes registration is a simple step that could help reduce the risk of accidents in the home.

Home Fire Safety Manager Gareth Hands said: “Smart, efficient appliances make life easier, but it’s essential to get them registered. It’s quick, free, and ensures you’re alerted first if a safety repair is ever needed. A few minutes now helps you enjoy the benefits without compromising safety.”

Residents are being directed to the Register My Appliance portal, which offers access to more than 70 leading brands, with many accepting registrations for both new and older appliances, including items bought second-hand or acquired “nearly new”.

To register, households can visit www.registermyappliance.org.uk.

PLANS for a new ‘traveller site’ on the outskirts of a Pembrokeshire village, which has seen a petition of nearly 300 objections, and was previously refused by the national park, are again expected to be turned down.

Last May, members of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s development management committee refused a scheme for the creation of one traveller site incorporating one static caravan, one touring caravan, day/utility room and ecological enhancements (partly retrospective) on land at Froghall Yard, Moreton Lane, Saundersfoot.

The authority has served an enforcement notice on the site, which requires its return to its previous condition.

Nearly 300 people had signed a petition against the scheme and the objection to the application by David ‘Dai’ Evans of Pontypool, through agents Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd, was also shared by Saundersfoot’s community council.

Members had said granting permission “would be gross overdevelopment setting a precedent for development literally anywhere throughout the national park”.

A supporting statement accompanying the application stated: “The applicant belongs to a long-standing Romany Gypsy family and generations have lived a traditional and cultural lifestyle living in caravans all their lives.

“Mr Evans and his partner currently reside on an overcrowded Traveller site in Pontypool where living conditions are poor. They currently only live in rented accommodation and its brick and mortar and not in keeping with their cultural preference, as they prefer to live in a caravan.”

It said Mr Evans and family have stayed in a touring caravan at the site during the summer months since the late 1980s when it was owned by another gypsy family, later purchased by Mr Evans in 2023, clearing and refurbishing the site.

The application was refused on the grounds it was considered to result in unacceptable landscape impacts, a lack of information on whether the proposal will unacceptably disturb species and habitats within the countryside, and it “would introduce caravan development in an area of the National Park without landscape capacity, resulting in unacceptable cumulative impacts”.

The application has now been resubmitted, which is recommended for refusal at the January 28 meeting of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s development management committee.

Agent Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd says the application “is significantly improved and offers new extensive mitigation and net biodiversity gain,” and “is fully in accordance with the requirements in terms of sustainability, access, will not cause significant visual intrusion and is sensitively located within an area surrounded by natural vegetation”.

Saundersfoot Community Council has unanimously objected to the latest plans and 48 objections covering a wide range of concerns have been received, including one from a planning agent on behalf of a group of local residents, and one of 12 residents

The application is recommended for refusal on the grounds its has “resulted in unacceptable landscape impact on the National Park and potentially disturbed species and habitats within the countryside,” it “fails to demonstrate that impacts on otters and the integrity of the Carmarthen Bay and Estuaries Special Area of Conservation would be avoided,” and the proposal “would introduce caravan development in an area of the National Park without landscape capacity, resulting in unacceptable cumulative impacts”.