News

Sea Empress disaster 20 years on

Published

9 years ago

March 2, 2016

IT WAS one of the biggest environmental disasters ever to hit UK shores and now 20 years on from the Sea Empress disaster RSPCA staff are looking back at the role they played in helping to save hundreds of seabirds and mammals.

Early on the evening of 15 February, 1996 the Sea Empress, a single hull oil tanker, hit rocks on its way into the Cleddau Estuary and the ship’s cargo of 130,000 tonnes of crude North Sea oil started to spill into the waters off Pembrokeshire.

The RSPCA launched a massive rescue operation in response to the disaster in an effort to save the thousands of oiled and dying seabirds that were so badly affected by the slick.

Scores of volunteers helped open and run a makeshift animal hospital – set up in an old industrial unit – where more than 7,000 dead or oiled birds were taken – while inspectors, drivers and wildlife centre staff experts worked around the clock to nurse, clean and feed as many of the birds back to health as they could.

“The rescue operation took a massive team effort,” said RSPCA chief inspector for the south west Wales inspectorate group, Romain de Kerckhove, who held the same position 20 years ago.

“It quickly became apparent that this incident was of a scale that needed national resources, and a roster was arranged that invited colleagues from all over England and Wales to become involved,” he said.

“Officers would attend, for a limited period, and would work extremely long days, responding to calls from the public, and patrolling beaches to search for victims of the disaster.

“They were accommodated locally, and would be replaced by other colleagues in order to keep the team fresh and strong. Some officers would actually sleep on camp beds at the temporary bird rescue holding/cleaning facility, in order to ensure that there were people on site overseeing the welfare of the birds 24/7.

“This was a rescue that involved teams from across the entire RSPCA, as well as countless volunteers who would work with us, and assist the RSPCA teams both at the cleaning and rehab centre, as well as on the beaches.

“It was hard work, but everyone enjoyed the atmosphere and being involved in such a worthwhile and much needed rescue operation.”

Richard Abbott, who is now an RSPCA chief inspector, was the officer on duty the night the Sea Empress ran aground. “I recall speaking to a Brecon RCC (Brecon Regional Control Centre) tasker who said they had received a call saying a tanker had run aground at Milford Haven and was leaking 30,000 gallons of oil.

I recall thinking, no chance, that’s never going to have happened, not these days with twin hulled tankers. I asked the tasker to ring the Coastguard to double check as I was driving and enroute to an emergency at the time, about 10.30pm ish.

“She rang me back about five minutes later and said to my astonishment that the Coastguard had confirmed the report. I pulled over and rang the chief inspector Romain de Kerckhove at home and started the response.

“I got back in about 1am that night and by 7am I had the call that I was needed to help set up the emergency response centre. A few hours later chief inspector Romain de Kerckhove arrived and took over.

“It was incredibly stressful for those three to four weeks, as we dealt with thousands birds and managed many rescue organisations. It was a steep learning curve.”

RSPCA inspector Rohan Barker attended the day after the incident with chief inspector Romain de Kerckhove.

“We spent two days putting together our response working with several organisations with very few birds coming in during the initial couple of days – but then the onslaught started.

“We worked 15 hour shifts collecting birds, setting up the cleaning station at a local industrial estate building provided by the council.

“Birds were collected by inspectors, animal collection officers and members of the public, brought to the station, initially cleaned and shipped off to RSPCA West Hatch Wildlife Centre by a fleet of vans.”

Dermot Murphy, who is now assistant director of inspectorate at the RSPCA, was one of the convoy of ambulance drivers drafted in from across the country at the time of the disaster to help ship stricken birds from the Pembrokeshire coast to the makeshift hospital.

“I was an RSPCA Ambulance Driver in London then, with just over a year’s service. I was sent to Milford Haven with an Inspector for a week.

“I had never seen anything like it. So many birds covered in oil in a terrible state, they were still being washed up two weeks into the operation. The birds that stuck in my mind were the common scoter, which is a sea duck. There were so many of them, an incredible amount and in such a bad way too.

“We had a busy week and did a range of duties, from collecting food to feed staff, patrolling beaches looking for oiled birds and cutting up food to feed the birds. It was a massive cleaning operation.”

Inside the RSPCA West Hatch Wildlife Centre in Somerset Paul Oaten was one of the team at the ready to take in casualties as they arrived in their droves from the Welsh coastline.

“We took in around 1,200 oiled birds. at the time of the Sea Empress disaster. They were covered in thick oil. Most of the casualties were scoters, and they were very badly affected.

“Luckily we had a lot of volunteers that came in to help with the sheer volume of birds that were coming in through the doors every day. People were happy to come in and wash towels while others spent their days cutting up sprats (fish) for the birds to eat.

“Those that were tasked with washing the birds would be in teams of two. One would hold the birds, the other would clean it using Fairy liquid. They would have a pre-clean where we would try to get as much of the oil off as possible without stressing the birds out. It was so important to get the oil off their plumage, not just because of the feathers but so that we could try to prevent them from ingesting the oil and stop it from burning them too.

“A lot of the birds were emaciated because they could not feed so building their strength back up and increasing their weight was also an important part of the process.”

He added: “Every role was vital to ensure we could keep the steady flow of birds through the cleaning system and the sense of teamwork was immense. That is my overwhelming memory of that time. the teamwork. It was so uplifting. The days were long and it was hard work but we were all working towards a common goal of trying to save these poor stricken birds.”

WWF-UK Head of Marine Policy Dr Lyndsey Dodds said told The Herald: “20 years on from the Sea Empress, Welsh waters are busier than ever but management is still piecemeal.

“The forthcoming Welsh National Marine Plan offers the opportunity to strategically manage activities that can impact upon Wales’s natural assets and should include provisions to ensure that the risks to the most sensitive areas from both accidental and chronic pollution are minimised.”

Community

Baby loss remembrance service at Withybush Hospital

Published

2 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE ANNUAL baby loss remembrance service will take place on Tuesday 1 October 2024 at St Luke’s Chapel in Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest at 7.00pm.

The ‘Forget Me Not’ service is part of the health board’s commitment to Baby Loss Awareness week (9-15 October) and is arranged by Midwifery and Bereavement teams and led by the Spiritual Care Department (Chaplaincy).

Euryl Howells, Senior Chaplain at Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “Experiencing the loss of a baby is an incredibly painful experience, and the service allows parents and their families to reflect and remember surrounded by support and love.

The service has long been a source of comfort for parents and families and will include prayers and readings, as well as poems and music to reflect. The service offers the opportunity for people to come together and remember the lives of babies who are sadly no longer with us.

Euryl Howells continued: “The loss of a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death is overwhelming and emotional. We meet families during some of their darkest days and to meet them sometimes after months or years after their bereavement is a privilege and special to staff.”

Should you require further information please contact Euryl Howells by telephone or email 01267 227563 or [email protected]

If you are unable to attend the service and wish to commemorate your loved one, please send a message to [email protected] by 29 September 2024.

Community

Pure West Radio gears up for DAB launch

Published

2 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Tom Sinclair

PURE West Radio is poised to enter a new era in its six-year history as it counts down to the launch of Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) later this autumn. The station is awaiting the activation of five transmitters, which will enable DAB to broadcast extensively across Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire. This move is set to significantly enhance Pure West Radio’s listener base and deliver an exceptional radio sound quality.

Toby Ellis, Pure West’s director, expressed his excitement about this milestone. “This is a very exciting time for Pure West Radio as it means we’re now going to be able to continue to expand in so many different directions,” he said. “Our biggest focus has always been the people who listen to us and who’ve grown with us since we first launched back in April 2018. The way in which we’re now moving forward is due to the hard work and commitment that this dedicated team has shown.”

***PWR Director Toby Ellis (Image: Facebook)***

The station, which has been a key part of the Pembrokeshire community since its inception, boasts a workforce of 13 people, including presenters, producers, journalists, and sales personnel. Additionally, it benefits from a strong voluntary sector comprising over 100 members, contributing to its hybrid working model. This approach allows the station to maintain a strong community commitment while ensuring commercial viability.

“Our move to DAB will enable more people to remain connected to our platform as we continue delivering interviews, local news, information, and of course, a whole load of quality music,” Ellis added. Pure West Radio has grown rapidly, reaching over 500,000 people across its platforms each month. During the COVID-19 crisis, it played a crucial role in providing up-to-date information in collaboration with Pembrokeshire County Council.

The station, which celebrated its third birthday recently, has seen two million listens since its start, with an average of 50,000 listens per week. This audience engagement is approaching nearly half of the population of Pembrokeshire. The upcoming DAB launch marks a significant development for the station, allowing it to reach a wider audience and continue its mission of delivering local news, community events, and music to its listeners.

Pure West Radio has close links to the Herald, with its Director, Toby Ellis, General Manager Mathew Rickard and its Head of News, Sarah Jane-Absalom all having previously worked at The Pembrokeshire Herald or Herald Radio.

Herald Editor Tom Sinclair said: “Everyone at The Herald wishes Toby and the team the best of luck with this important milestone.

“Getting on the airwaves is what Pure West Radio needs to take it to the next level and we are very proud of what the PWR team have achieved over the last few years.”

Those interested in becoming part of the radio station can get more information by emailing [email protected].

The official DAB launch date will be announced in the near future, Pure West Radio said.

Crime

West Wales teenager sentenced for terrorism offences and assault

Published

3 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Tom Sinclair

A 19-YEAR OLD male from west Wales appeared before Winchester Crown Court today (Thursday, September 19, 2024) after pleading guilty to terrorism offences and an assault that was motivated by and demonstrating hostility towards the victim based on her transgender identity.

Alex Hutton, from Swansea, who has previously been convicted of offences under the Terrorism Act was arrested in November last year after South Wales Police received a report from a member of the public stating they had viewed a video on Hutton’s Instagram in which he claims to have kicked an unidentified person in the head. The video also contained far right imagery.

Hutton has been sentenced to ten years and four months in prison.

Detective Chief Inspector Leanne Williams, Head of Investigations at Counter Terrorism Policing Wales, said: “We welcome the outcome of this case. Alex Hutton, motivated by hate, engaged in a horrendous and unprovoked attack on a defenceless young girl who was minding her own business one afternoon in a Swansea park in May 2023.

“There is no doubt that the attack will have lasting effects on this young person and I really hope today’s outcome provides her with some comfort.

“Furthermore, Hutton demonstrated a clear intention to spread his hatred across the internet encouraging acts of terrorism. Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing Wales uncovered his actions during a detailed investigation, which then led us to the assault that took place earlier in the year.

“I hope he now uses the time in custody to reflect on his actions, with a view to leading a far more productive life upon his eventual release.”

Bethan David, Head of Counter Terrorism Division at the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Alex Hutton is not simply a fantasist that held extreme views, he is a dangerous young man.

“His unprovoked attack was driven by hate and he poses a substantial risk to other groups and society as a whole.

“He celebrated terrorist acts of white supremacy and encouraged his friends and associates on various social media and messaging platforms to join him in his extreme and disturbing views.

“The CPS will always prosecute those who encourage acts of terrorism and hate to protect the public.”

Chief Inspector Lindsey Sweeney from South Wales Police said: “We are delighted with the outcome of this investigation, a case which involved a senseless, violent Hate Crime. We want to reassure the community that this behaviour will never be tolerated in our area, and the perpetrators will be swiftly identified, arrested and duly sent to prison.

“Here in Swansea, we have a great multicultural city which has been demonstrated by a series of fantastic events involving the whole community in recent weeks and months. At South Wales Police, we work every day to ensure that the city is a safe and welcoming place for people of all backgrounds.”

Anyone who sees or hears something that could be terrorist-related should act on their instincts and call the police in confidence on 0800 789 321. In an emergency, always dial 999. Visit gov.uk/ACT for more information, including how to report extremist or terrorist content that is online.