News

Saundersfoot: Owner of fouling dog owned by mystery man with camera

Published

10 years ago

October 25, 2015

Tom Sinclair

Mystery dog owner: You have no idea who you are talking to (Pic: YouTube)

A MEMBER of the public has uploaded a video to YouTube of himself criticising a dog owner for not picking up dog mess.

The video has started to go viral around Pembrokeshire on Facebook.

In the film the mystery uploader, who calls himself The Leveller, says: “This gentleman’s dog has done a poo, and I have asked him to pick it up, and he is quite reluctant, he wants to argue. I am just going to stand here and wait for him do it.”

He adds: “You have a public responsibility, and it is law now, you have got to pick it up.”

The reaction of the man with the dog has become a subject of debate on Facebook with many people saying they are angry at his attitude, “You have no idea who you are talking to” he says.

‘IT WAS A SET UP’, SAYS DOG OWNER

The Herald tracked down the dog owner. His name is Toby Olford.

Mr Olford told the Herald: “I was walking my dog on the beach, when I walked passed a man metal detecting. He stopped me and asked if the dog was mine. When I told him the dog was, he said he had just seen it fouling and marched me 50yds up the beach to point it out.

“I found this very strange as I had just picked up my dog’s poo 5 minutes earlier and you can see in the video that I was carrying bags for this use.”

Mr Olford went on to explain that this was the point the filming began but he couldn’t really understand why.

He feels that he was set up but confirmed that he does not know the filmmaker.

After the filming started, Mr Oldfield said he felt intimidated into ‘picking up dog mess that did not belong to his dog by a very confrontational person’ and claims that the video has been heavily edited of the foul language that the filmmaker used, he also told the Herald that the conversation on film lasted around 3 minutes.

Mr Olford added: “I said in the video, ‘You don’t know who I am’ – I did not mean this in an arrogant way, and I do not think for one minute that I am above the law, the reason I said this is due to the fact that my family and I have very strong connections with this beach and it means a lot to us and our livelihood, the people who know me know I would not let this happen.”

Mr Olford’s father told our reporter that he and his family are “often cleaning up dog poo from the beach” and also a huge amount of horse poo so for his son to let his own dog do this would go against their beliefs in keeping the beach in prime condition.

The family are very disappointed to have been “painted in a bad light” and do not wish to start a war with the filmmaker, all they are interested in, hey say, is airing their side of the story without inflaming the matter any further.

The Herald understands that the family own the beach from the mean high-water line to the beach head.

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24 Comments

Welshman23

October 25, 2015 at 5:13 pm

Spot on who the hell is the person with the dog, he seems to think he is above the law
John

October 26, 2015 at 5:18 am

Has he been in X factor??
pinkcat

October 26, 2015 at 7:28 am

The amount of people not clearing up after their dogs is unbelievable. I have been to saundersfoot Coppice Hall side many time and witnessed dog owners letting their dogs foul in the stream area whilst little children are paddling. Absolutely disgusting. Don’t they realise that some poor kid is going to pick up the dog poo as it is amongst the sand. Dog poo can cause blindness, this matter should not be taken lightly.
Em mizsei

October 26, 2015 at 9:43 am

Who is he?!
PooFighters

October 26, 2015 at 10:50 am

Is he Ronnie Pickering?
barbara

October 26, 2015 at 12:13 pm

shame on him i dont give a monkeys who he is pick up the pooo you muppet,well done for pulling him up on this, if i see anyone walking away i always offer them a bag to pick it up
OMG

October 26, 2015 at 2:14 pm

How do we know he wasn’t going to pick it up? Sorry just an patronising idiot with a camera!
JP

October 26, 2015 at 4:05 pm

@ OMG:
Because he didnt have any bags with him to pick it up, he had to have the bags off the ‘patronising idiot’ with a camera??
Www

October 26, 2015 at 4:28 pm

@ JP:
He did have his own bags tho, the man just offered some. He used his own bags
Elina

October 26, 2015 at 4:55 pm

Hello, just to clear this up a bit. I am the girl in the video. I don‘t know how we got pulled into this mess, but this is not the whole video.
That day we were heading to the beach to walk the dog and our dog had done hiss business, which we cleaned up maybe 5-10 minutes before we stumbled upon this man with a metal detector. Our dog was just enjoying his run on the beach as we were keeping an eye on him. And then this man comes up to us saying that he‘s seen our dog making a mess just now, as we were passing by with the dog. So we argued, that it wasn‘t our dogs mess, but he was certain he‘d seen it (while metal detecting). We gave in for the sake of the argument and because it in fact IS in our interest to keep the beach clean. So that‘s the reason for being reluctant.
And then to our surprise he takes out his phone and starts filming us. That is certainly not the kind of reaction one would expect after trying to settle an argument. But we thought that he was just a bit strange and laughed it off. We didn‘t expect AT ALL, that it would turn out like this. We did have our own poo bags. And this man is just accusing us for nothing, he was metal detecting and looking at the ground with his German sheppard just a few feet away.
I am all for cleaning after your own pet, it‘s just that there was no need at all for him to get so agressive with us.
JP

October 26, 2015 at 5:55 pm

@ Www:
The lady in the video takes a bag off him and picks the poo up when he says ‘you’ve missed a bit’@ Www:
JP

October 26, 2015 at 5:57 pm

@ Elina:
The real question that everyone is wondering is, who is he??
Famous footballer? Film star? Lord mayor of Saundersfoot?
Mag

October 26, 2015 at 6:26 pm

@ Elina:
I’m dying to know Elina, who is he because he didn’t seem to know who he was?
Kieran

October 26, 2015 at 6:29 pm

@ Elina:

SO AS YOUR MALE SAYS DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM
WELL FOLKS ON HERE WANT TO KNOW
WHO IS HE
Bryn

October 26, 2015 at 7:07 pm

I know this gentleman and I can assure everyone if it was his dog he would clean it up he carries doggy poo bags wherever he goes he is the most responsible dog owners I know. People want to see the mess humans leave behind on the beach in the summer months and the stones and rocks that metal detector users dig up and leave for people to trip over or children stub toes or cut feet on or even the holes they leave I have twisted my ankle a couple of times in but no body worries about that.
Sam

October 26, 2015 at 7:26 pm

Was he Ronnie Pickering??
OMG

October 26, 2015 at 7:30 pm

@ JP:
If you look he has a bag in hands at the start of the video. The fact is we don’t know the full story from watching a short video clip. “When it comes to privacy and accountability, people always demand the former for themselves and the latter for everyone else.” – David Brin
elaine Ashby

October 26, 2015 at 9:54 pm

@ Elina:
Why did he keep saying you dont know who you are speaking to? Who is he anyway? Perhaps you should respond with this explanation on Facebook. The guy with the camera was pretty determined. And put you on you tube. And now all over Facebook. Not fair if he was in the wrong.
John

October 26, 2015 at 10:07 pm

Well done, it like baby poop, no one likes dealing with someone else’s child’s mess….

I could see you were doing the right thing – most people do, but I just loved the ‘don’t you know who I am’ type comment because frankly, no I don’t (should I?) and moreover it shouldn’t make any difference….
TenbyLifeboater

October 26, 2015 at 10:11 pm

I was actually on the beach when all this happened, and the video is a bit of a distortion of the actual facts I believe.
In fact, there was an Alsatian n the beach at the same time who i saw poo on the sand, around the same spot where it has been dug up, and the fog was unattended.
I think this couple have been portrayed in a bad light, and there is the potential that the person who filmed this video may have even asked this couple to clean up his OWN dog’s mess, without him realising it. I’d be more than happy to have this published for the record as a witness to the facts.
It’s so frustrating nowadays when you only get half truths.
Elina

October 27, 2015 at 8:35 pm

@ TenbyLifeboater:
Thank You so much for Your support.
James Henry

October 27, 2015 at 11:33 pm

i quite often see this metal detector chap having a cheeky wee on the beach particularly in the winter, should he then take his mess home?
Theres some strange folk about 😉
Helen Carp

October 29, 2015 at 5:46 pm

@ Elina:
people money big money rom these videos especially when they go viral as this one did. i expect he is laughing all the way to the bank. it’s a shame people get sucked in.
Helen Carp

October 29, 2015 at 5:47 pm

@ Elina:
people make money big money rom these videos especially when they go viral as this one did. i expect he is laughing all the way to the bank. it’s a shame people get sucked in.@ Elina:

Local Government

Cabinet backs major leisure investment plan for Pembrokeshire

Published

4 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Tom Sinclair

New centres proposed for Milford Haven and Pembroke as ageing facilities face replacement

PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL’S Cabinet has approved a major investment programme aimed at transforming leisure facilities across the county.

The multi-million-pound Leisure Investment Programme includes plans for new leisure centres in Milford Haven and Pembroke, alongside a £4.6 million package to repair and extend the life of Tenby’s swimming pool.

Cabinet members were told that both Pembroke and Milford Haven leisure centres are reaching the end of their usable life. Pembroke Leisure Centre opened in 1974, while Milford Haven’s facility followed in 1984, ten years after the site’s original swimming pool.

The report highlighted that maintaining the ageing buildings would require millions of pounds in ongoing repairs, with replacement now seen as the most sustainable long-term solution.

For Milford Haven, Cabinet approved £1.2 million to develop detailed plans, including design work and pre-construction activity. The proposed new leisure centre would be built alongside the town’s planned new primary and secondary school development.

In Pembroke, councillors agreed £195,000 to carry out feasibility studies for a new leisure centre on the existing site.

Meanwhile, Tenby’s swimming pool will receive a £4.6 million capital grant awarded to the Tenby and District Swimming Pool Association, which owns the facility. The funding is expected to extend the pool’s lifespan by at least ten years, allowing time to explore longer-term options, including possible integration with future secondary school provision in the town.

Cllr Rhys Sinnett, Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services, said the decision marked a major step forward.

He said: “We have taken a significant step towards delivering leisure facilities that are fit for the future and meet the needs of our communities.

“We are committed to providing high-quality sports and leisure provision across Pembrokeshire, and where significant investment is required, we will not shy away from it. These facilities play a vital role in supporting long-term health and wellbeing.”

Health

Owain Wyn Evans highlights hearing health concerns across Wales

Published

5 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Tom Sinclair

NEW research has revealed just how closely sound is linked to identity in Wales — but also raised concerns about declining hearing health across the country.

A study commissioned by Specsavers and fronted by broadcaster and drummer Owain Wyn Evans found that nearly half of adults in Wales have noticed changes in their hearing in recent years, yet many are failing to act.

Sound shapes Welsh identity

The research found that seven in ten people in Mid and West Wales (69%) say hearing a Welsh accent is what makes Wales feel most like home. Over half also pointed to the Welsh language (59%) and the sounds of the countryside (57%) as central to their sense of belonging.

Community events also play a key role, with 68% saying occasions such as Eisteddfodau and local fêtes bring people together through shared sound — more than those who cited singing at rugby or football matches (59%).

Overall, 65% of respondents said sound is an important part of their Welsh identity, with Welsh choirs (54%) and everyday language (53%) also featuring strongly. Around 40% said losing the ability to hear these sounds would make them feel less connected to Welsh culture.

Hearing issues on the rise

Despite this strong emotional connection to sound, the study highlights growing concerns around hearing health.

Some 45% of adults said they have noticed changes in their hearing in recent years. However, more than a quarter have taken no action.

Exposure to loud environments appears to be a key factor. Nearly three in ten people (29%) reported experiencing temporary muffled hearing or ringing in their ears after live music or gigs, while one in five (21%) said the same after visiting nightclubs.

Across Wales, 38% said they had experienced similar symptoms after live events, yet only 24% of those who noticed a decline in their hearing had a hearing check in the past two years. More than a quarter (28%) said they have taken no action and do not plan to.

Owain Wyn Evans shares personal experience

The findings are personal for Owain Wyn Evans, 42, who has experienced hearing changes himself.

The Ammanford-born broadcaster said: “I first noticed changes to my hearing about five years ago. I’ve been drumming since I was ten, often in very loud environments like rugby and social clubs, and over time I realised I was missing parts of conversations.

“It was a shock to be told there had been changes, but it made me take my hearing health seriously.

“Sound is such a huge part of who we are in Wales — from the countryside to the sea. Protecting our hearing means protecting those connections.”

Barriers to seeking help

Despite recognising the importance of hearing, one in three people (33%) admitted they have never taken steps to protect it. More than a third (38%) said they would feel more confident wearing glasses than using hearing devices.

For some, taking action has been life-changing. Cardiff-based former DJ Amal Luchmun, 56, said hearing loss had begun to affect everyday life.

“My hearing loss became a conversation killer,” he said. “I’d find myself guessing what people were saying and avoiding noisy environments because it was exhausting.

“Since getting a hearing device, the difference has been huge. I recently went to a Six Nations match and could hear everything clearly and chat easily with people around me.”

Experts urge early action

Annie Morris, head of clinical performance at Specsavers, said hearing changes often go unnoticed.

“Changes to our hearing usually happen gradually, and the brain adapts to missing sounds,” she said. “People often don’t realise how much they’re missing until it starts to affect conversations.

“On average, people wait around ten years before seeking help. While hearing loss can’t be reversed, acting early can slow further decline.”

She added that simple steps such as wearing ear protection in loud environments and booking regular hearing checks can make a significant difference.

Checks available across Wales

Specsavers stores across Wales offer hearing tests both in-store and through home visits for those unable to travel.

News

Wales faces infrastructure shortfall without urgent reform, commission warns

Published

6 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Tom Sinclair

WALES risks falling behind on its long-term infrastructure needs unless major barriers to planning, funding and delivery are tackled, a leading advisory body has warned.

The National Infrastructure Commission for Wales (NICW) this week (Mar 23) published two major reports setting out what the country will need over the next 80 years — and why current systems are failing to deliver.

The Wales Infrastructure Assessment examines key sectors including energy, transport, water, digital and the circular economy, while a separate Infrastructure Delivery Report focuses on how projects can be better planned, funded and completed.

The Commission says that despite strong policies already in place, many major projects are delayed or fail to progress due to systemic problems. These include complex approval processes, short-term political and funding cycles, and a shortage of skilled workers.

It also highlights a lack of joined-up thinking across sectors, with transport, energy and digital systems often planned in isolation, leading to inefficiencies and missed opportunities.

Concerns were also raised about fragile confidence among communities and investors, driven by frequent policy changes, inconsistent engagement and uncertainty over long-term funding.

NICW has identified eight priority actions to improve delivery, including longer-term funding commitments, planning reform, better collaboration between sectors, investment in skills, and earlier engagement with communities.

Dr David Clubb, Chair of the Commission, said: “Wales has no shortage of ambition. What we face is a shortage of delivery. Unless we address the structural barriers in the system, we will not meet the needs of current or future generations.

“The next Senedd must be prepared to make long-term, and sometimes difficult, choices.”

The reports also stress the importance of better data and long-term planning, drawing on international approaches to support more informed decision-making.

With the Senedd election approaching, the Commission said the next Welsh Government will have a critical opportunity to reset how infrastructure is delivered — and warned that failure to act could undermine economic growth, climate targets and public confidence.