News
Projects to reduce motorcycle fatalities
FOUR projects which aim to improve road safety and reduce the number of motorcycle casualties on Welsh roads are to benefit from Welsh Government research funding Transport and Science Minister, Edwina Hart, announced last week.
The news comes after three motorcycle fatalities on the roads of Pembrokeshire in recent months, the most recent on Sunday (Jul 19). In Carmarthenshire, a biker was seriously injured in a collision with a lorry on Friday (Jul 17) on the A483 near Sugarloaf.
The projects were selected from forty-seven bids after the Minister issued a challenge to companies, other public bodies and the voluntary sector earlier this year to submit creative ideas to help improve road safety for motorcyclists.
The Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Innovation Challenge required companies to identify pioneering approaches to reduce motorcycle casualties in Wales – a priority target for the Welsh Government.
Funding will now be given to the four selected companies to run feasibility studies as part of the first stage of the challenge.
Announcing the successful projects, Mrs Hart said: “We can all take pride in the fact that Welsh roads are amongst the safest in the world. However, we must avoid complacency and recognise that there is significant scope for further improvements.
“The Welsh Government is committed to reducing casualties through a combination of measures including education, engineering and enforcement.
“This challenge is about harnessing potential to find tangible solutions which address key issues. I look forward to seeing how the successful projects develop.”
The selected projects are:
An advanced helmet liner from Armourgel Ltd, which will incorporate Armourgel material into motorcycle helmets with the aim of protecting motorcyclists from rotational acceleration brain injuries; a flexible use energy absorption and dissipation material from Tecosim Technical Simulations Ltd that can be cut to size and fitted to street furniture; a junction alert system from Fusion Processing Ltd which will use a combination of radar and cameras to identify when a motorcyclist is approaching, and a side view light for motorcycles from Style Eyes Ltd that appears to flicker in peripheral vision, making it more noticeable to drivers at junctions.
Each project will receive up to £15,000 until December 2015 to develop their proposal. Following this, the two most promising will share funding of up to £450,000 to develop their product to a point where it can be marketed.
Crime
Pembroke Dock woman in court for failing to remove rubbish from property
A PEMBROKE DOCK resident is due to appear before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court later today (Nov 25) for multiple alleged breaches of a community protection notice.
Sheena Deacon, of 13 Wavell Crescent, Pembroke Dock, faces charges under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which carries a maximum penalty of a Level 4 fine.
The charges stem from allegations that Deacon failed to remove accumulated household waste from her property on several occasions. According to court documents, the breaches occurred on September 19, September 26, October 2, October 9, and October 17 this year.
The charges indicate that Deacon, despite being issued with a community protection notice, did not comply with the requirements to clear and appropriately dispose of refuse and household waste from her address.
The Herald will bring updates on the case as it progresses.
News
Welsh Conservatives urge Labour to scrap ‘family farm tax’
THE WELSH CONSERVATIVES have announced plans to bring forward a Senedd debate next week (Nov 27) calling on the UK Labour Government to abandon its proposed “family farm tax.”
The tax, introduced by the UK Labour Government, is being criticised as a move that will harm Welsh farming, threaten food security, and increase food prices. Alongside the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Farming Scheme and perceived “anti-farming agenda,” critics argue this new tax amounts to a coordinated effort to undermine the future of agriculture in Wales.
Shadow Minister warns of consequences
Ahead of the debate, Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs, James Evans MS, condemned the proposal, stating:
“Labour’s family farm tax will put family farms out of business, threaten our food security, and lead to food prices rising. Only the Welsh Conservatives will stand up for our farmers, and that’s why we’re bringing forward a Senedd motion calling on Labour to reverse this decision. No farmers, no food.”
NFU Cymru expresses alarm
NFU Cymru President, Aled Jones, echoed these concerns, highlighting the widespread opposition from the farming community. Speaking about the impact of the tax on Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief, Jones said:
“Earlier this week, hundreds of farmers from across Wales journeyed to London to meet with their MPs and register their deeply held concerns about these misguided and ill-thought-out reforms.
“The proposals unveiled by the Treasury last month to introduce a tax on the passing on of our family farms to the next generation are a massive added burden. They will leave many farmers without the means, confidence, or incentive to invest in the future of their business.
“NFU Cymru reiterates its call for the UK Government to halt these changes.”
The motion to be debated
The motion, set to be debated in the Senedd, reads:
“To propose that the Senedd:
Calls on the UK Labour Government to reverse its decision to impose a family farm tax on agricultural businesses.”
This debate is expected to attract significant attention, with Welsh farmers and rural communities keenly watching for the outcome.
Community
Internet outage for two villages after exchange box destroyed
RESIDENTS of Clunderwen and Llandissilio have been left without internet access following the destruction of an Openreach exchange box just outside Llandissilio village.
The incident occurred yesterday (Nov 23) when the box was reportedly demolished by a vehicle. The damage has resulted in a complete loss of internet services for the two villages, with repairs expected to take at least a couple of days.
Local residents have expressed frustration over the disruption, as the outage affects home businesses, remote workers, and households relying on internet connectivity for day-to-day tasks.
Openreach engineers have cordoned off the site, and work is ongoing to assess the extent of the damage. A spokesperson for Openreach has been contacted for comment but had not responded by the time of publication.
The vehicle involved in the incident has not yet been identified. Anyone with information about the collision is urged to contact the local police.
With repair timelines unclear, affected residents have called for increased communication from service providers to manage expectations during the outage.
“Bringing the community back online is a priority,” a local resident said. “We’re hoping Openreach can resolve the issue quickly and ensure it doesn’t happen again in future.”
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sjb
August 8, 2015 at 4:24 pm
I often travel from Pembs towards Chester and for the last 5 years we have had one lane shut at several places on the A40 and A483 . They have NO money to repair the roads but I guess the £1,500 quid a week per roadworks comes from a different pot so that’s something completely different. (1500 X 52 weeksXnumber of years X number of roadworks etc ….)
Look for the signs “Lane closed for your safety” – honestly If they cannot afford to repair roads so that main roads are SINGLE TRACK how on earth can we take the senedd seriously
sjb
August 12, 2015 at 11:05 pm
ooops missed the £1,500 a week was for each set of traffic lights
anon
August 17, 2015 at 7:18 pm
Has anybody thought of educating motorcyclist to ride properly!
not cut cars up at junctions, not ride down lines of stationery traffic!
and ride at excessive speed, these do not help motorists.