A PUBLIC protection order, introduced in the centre of Haverfordwest to tackle antisocial behaviour more than two years ago has been a “waste of taxpayers’ money,” with no prosecutions or penalties issued, councillors will hear.

Prior to its backing in mid 2022, a plan to introduce a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) in Haverfordwest town centre had been under discussion for some time, with a public consultation on the matter, as well as previous debates by Pembrokeshire County Council.

The proposals were brought by the town’s five county councillors, initially prompted by anti-social behaviour and drinking issues at the skate park and were developed in partnership with Dyfed-Powys Police.

Claims had previously been made that “gangs of feral children are roaming around town”, with members of the public subject to verbal and physical abuse in Haverfordwest, and a “criminal element” dealing drugs in the town.

The PSPO gives police and PCSOs additional powers for three years to issue a fixed penalty notice of £100 if someone fails to comply with a request to cease consumption of intoxicating substances in a designated area.

At the time, Cllr Jacob Williams said on “civil liberties grounds” he was shocked to see what was being proposed.

“I think this is way over the top and not a proportionate response,” he said.

The PSPO area includes the Withybush retail area, the river alongside Morrisons, Barn Street, Horsefair roundabout, Rifleman Field, skatepark, Fortunes Frolic and out to the train station.

After a lengthy debate the introduction of a PSPO was approved 30 votes for and 21 against, with four abstentions.

The December 12 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council will receive a submitted question by Independent Group leader Cllr Huw Murphy on the subject.

“At full council on July 14, 2022 a decision was made to implement a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) within certain areas of Haverfordwest.

“A Partnership Panel held on May 23, 2024, received confirmation that since this PSPO was implemented there have been no prosecutions or fixed penalties issued. There was a cost implication in implementing this PSPO for PCC, money that we can ill afford to spend when ample legislation exists for dealing with antisocial behaviour.

“Therefore, can it be agreed that in future such applications are given greater scrutiny to avoid further waste of taxpayers’ money and what actually reduces antisocial behaviour is increased pro-active policing not more legislation?”

Cllr Murphy’s question will be heard at the December 12 meeting.

THE OLDER people’s commissioner for Wales called for funding to alleviate the impact of winter fuel payment cuts amid “extreme anxiety, anger and distress” over fuel poverty.

Rhian Bowen-Davies urged the Welsh Government to set up a distinct fund for older people to mitigate against Westminster’s decision to introduce means-testing.

Ms Bowen-Davies, who was appointed for a seven-year term in July, warned the withdrawal of universal winter fuel payments will have a significant impact.

She told the Senedd’s equality committee: “I felt that this decision was the wrong decision… it should have been reversed, I think that opportunity has been missed with the budget.”

She added: “I felt the approach was wrong in terms of it being rushed through and I also felt the timeline was unrealistic for people to apply.”

The new older people’s commissioner, who is a former police officer, welcomed the Unite union taking legal action to try to overturn the cuts.

Giving evidence to an inquiry on fuel poverty, she told the committee an estimated 50,000 households in Wales are eligible for pension credit but do not claim the extra income.

Warning the eligibility criteria for the Welsh Government’s discretionary assistance fund is too narrow, she urged ministers to follow the example of Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Ms Bowen-Davies pointed to a £100 payment for all older people in Northern Ireland this winter, with no application needed and a similar scheme set to follow in Scotland.

She raised concerns about the Welsh Government’s refreshed Warm Homes programme, with a lack of boiler repairs leaving some households without heating and hot water.

She told the committee the boiler replacement scheme has since opened but only until March as she called for a better balance between warm homes and decarbonisation.

Age Cymru highlighted a “huge” 1,144% increase in calls to its advice line about winter fuel payments and a 99% rise for pension credit enquiries from 2023 to 2024.

Ceri Cryer, Age Cymru’s policy adviser, raised similar concerns about the equality impact of an emphasis on heat pumps that are inappropriate for some homes.

She warned the upfront and ongoing costs of heat pumps are beyond many people’s means.

Rebecca Hill, a senior public health specialist at Public Health Wales, expressed concerns about a trend towards older people skipping meals and cutting back on heating.

Dr Hill said: “We know that colder homes are linked to heart and lung conditions, infectious respiratory illnesses such as flu. We also see higher rates of deaths in cold months … and we know a majority of those deaths accrue amongst our oldest population.”

She also pointed to evidence that older people in colder homes have higher blood pressure and cholesterol, problems with sleep and reduced physical performance, leading to falls.

Ms Bowen-Davies warned older people are experiencing “extreme anxiety, anger and distress” as she called for interim targets in the Welsh Government’s fuel poverty plan.

Raising concerns about the disproportionate impact of the cost-of-living crisis, she pointed out that many older people have to budget for soaring bills from a fixed income.

She told the meeting on December 9: “What older people are saying to me is they are having to make really difficult decisions in terms of how much they are eating on a daily basis and the individual rooms that they are heating.”

THOUSANDS of homes across Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, and Carmarthenshire remain without power as recovery efforts following Storm Darragh face significant challenges. Tree-cutting specialists are working around the clock in some of the toughest conditions seen in decades to clear fallen trees from power lines.

Speaking exclusively to The Pembrokeshire Herald, Jeff Birch, director of Birch Utility Services, detailed the scale of the task his team faces.

“This is one of the most challenging periods we’ve seen in years,” he said. “I can understand people’s frustration as we rely so heavily on electricity, but the devastation is immense. I’ve been in this job for 40 years, and the last time I experienced anything like this was during the hurricane of October 1987.”

Birch Utility Services, established 16 years ago in Pembrokeshire, has grown to become the UK’s largest utilitarian tree-cutting company, with over 300 employees. Their work supports National Grid by clearing trees from power lines, a task made harder by widespread road blockages.

“A lot of the equipment is on the ground, and many power lines are at the end of long private lanes,” explained Birch. “In some cases, we spend an entire day clearing debris before we can even start on the trees. It’s not just about reconnecting wires — the work requires isolation, shutting off power, earthing, and permits. This all takes time, and we’re dealing with thousands of incidents across a vast area.”

Non-stop recovery efforts

Birch’s team has been working 24/7 since the storm hit on Friday night, bringing in additional teams from the Midlands to assist.

“Our staff are rotating shifts to maintain round-the-clock operations,” Birch added. “Their dedication is remarkable. They’re motivated by the knowledge that people out there have no power, no heating, and may be feeling scared. We’re doing everything we can to restore power as quickly as possible.”

National Grid response

National Grid confirmed that 26,959 customers across South Wales are still without power, with teams working tirelessly to restore supplies.

“Our engineers, control rooms, contact centre, and support teams have been working around the clock to maintain power,” said Emma Philpin, National Grid’s director of Customer Excellence.

“We’ve seen extremely high call volumes, and it’s taking longer for customers to get through. We thank everyone for their patience and understanding. Rest assured, we are doing everything possible to restore power across the region as quickly as we can.”

Storm Darragh’s aftermath has left communities grappling with widespread disruption, but recovery teams remain committed to restoring essential services under challenging circumstances.