News

Will Lower Town be abandoned to the sea?

Published

9 years ago

March 15, 2016

Lower Town Fishguard

CHAIRED by AM Paul Davies, residents of Fishguard and Goodwick attended a meeting to address representatives from the Pembrokeshire County Council and National Resources Wales, about the flooding issue which has long plagued Fishguard Lower Town.

The meeting was scheduled to discuss a Flood Investigation Report brought out by PCC on the topic of the serious flooding which occurred in 2014.

In 2014 the tidal surge saw water not only come from the sea to flood properties, but also up through drainage systems beneath houses, which proved an impossible force to tackle.

Starting off with Richard Wicks, Flood risk analysis team leader for the NRW speaking about the responsibilities NRW has and then going onto PCC’s Darren Thomas who explained the councils responsibility for the roads, highways and coastal protection constructions. Also attending was PCC’s Emyr Williams one of the coastal engineers and Pauline Louchart the emergency planning officer for the council.

What do the people of Lower Town think of the report?

In Mayor Richard Grosvenor’s absence, town Cllr Alex Allison spoke on behalf of the town and said: “One of the things I noticed in the report, I think on behalf of both agencies, it is a total abligation of their responsibilities, and that they’re passing this responsibility directly onto the local residents.

“The other thing that concerns me about the report is that you keep talking about projected frequencies, we know that in the last 10-15 years your projected frequencies have been blown right into the air.”

Also criticising the councils emergency efforts Cllr Allison said: “I also have to criticise the county council directly, in the actions they take when there is flooding.”

He continued: “To turn around and tell residents that if they want sand bags, they will have to buy them for themselves is again, a total abligation of their responsibilities.”

How does the report help the residents of Lower Town?

Getting down to the main issue the residents have with the report he also brought up the fact that, the report does not shed any light on future plans to tackle the flooding issue.

Alex Allison also brought up something mentioned in the report, which said that the cost of the properties has to outweigh that of the works being completed.

Following on from this he questioned how the works at Newgale were financially justified, where there is only ‘One pub and a field’ and not to save ‘125 houses in a historic village.’

He said: “I know a lot of people in the village feel the same way, that we are going to be abandoned in the long term.

“All we ask for is for you to tell us what plans you’ve got to stop it happening.”

Paul Davies then once again took the floor to highlight they key issues and possible ways to tackle them, which were brought up in the meeting directly following the 2014 flood crisis.

He also mentioned about the second flood which occurred just a month after the main issue which sparked the initiation of the report happened.

Some of the discussed flood defences included a “flood gate, and improvement to the old quay”, however he said: “No immediate solution was found, thus creating the need for the report.”

What do the locals think of the report?

Darren Thomas briefly explained the report: “We looked into what happened with the flooding, its causes, a summary of the incident, the responsibilities of those involved, and the conclusions and recommendations.”

“The report also includes technical details about the flooding for how our findings came about.”

He then welcomed questions from the attending audience. One man stepped up and began picking apart the report, he said: “In the conclusions and recommendations section you reference the operatives, who you say are trained, but it seems they need some guidance on where to place sand bags.”

He continued to explain an example where those placing sand bags had used ‘no common sense’ when placing them in non-strategic way.

Questioning the qualifications of those who wrote the report he also spoke about one possible flood defence strategy listed, and he himself being an engineer with over 50-years experience explained how the solution would make the flooding worse.

He then also stated that it was obvious that no public consultation had taken place when writing the report, because it was written from an unfamiliar perspective.

One lady asked why the report had taken two years to write, and questioned a point in the report which stated the sewage systems beneath the homes were deemed satisfactory following the January 2014 flooding.

She then went on to quote the report which said that no immediate action was needed in order to tackle the flooding issue, which she followed up by asking the rhetorical question: “What about the flooding which then occurred just one month on from that flood?”

Darren Thomas addressed the issue of the time it took to release the report and said: “This hasn’t just been sat on a desk waiting to be issued, it has gone through a process of consultation with stake holders and being drafted.”

Henry an attendee of the meeting began by stating he could match the engineering qualifications of those talking about the report and continued: “They built a refinery from scratch to produce oil in 18 months and you’ve taken two years to write a report which should have taken four at most.”

What is going to be done for the future?

Henry then proposed an idea and finishing with the question: “Are you going to do anything about the flooding or not?”

Bruce, another local, then picked more problems and issues with the plan when he was interrupted by Darren who said: “We’ve come along tonight to try and constructively discuss the issue, it is not constructive to keep just slagging off the report.

“We are here to go through the report and its findings.”

Richard Wicks added: “We do want to stop the flooding in Lower Town Fishguard and on the Abergwaun.”

He continued: “The first stage is to map where we actually are with the flooding, which we are doing, so please don’t think we don’t consider your small town here worth looking at.

Bringing up a few of the suggestions and problems with the proposed plans, Richard said about how Lower Town doesn’t just face tidal flooding but fluvial flooding from the river, he noted: “The last thing you want from us as engineers is to stop one type of flooding and leave you exposed to the other.”

Talking about more of the suggested solutions, he said that the cost would be very high for any considerable works and went on to explain the priority ranking system in place, which they advise the Welsh Government on.

Richard said: “Fishguard is about 400 on the list. Cardiff with it’s high population is top, as they are at risk of flooding with rising tide levels.

“Money would be much more wisely spent on areas like this with a high population. In time we will look at flood defences for Lower Town.”

Deputy Mayor, Mike Mayberry then spoke about Fishguard being so low down the list, and said about how places like Newgale where there are no residents effected have already had work started.

Darren went onto say that the work at Newgale isn’t about protecting houses or residents but is ‘managerial alignment’ after a ‘vulnerability survey’ showed the trunk road had only 10 years left before it was lost to the sea.

What was the final conclusion of the meeting?

More discussion about strategies to solve the problem, including short term suggestions about stopping traffic took place which Emyr said would be ‘extremely difficult to police’. The meeting continued to heat up and a local man left the meeting through frustration, of not hearing any actual solutions from the report which took two years to complete.

Highlighting that the meeting had started to snow ball and cross topics set out for discussion, Paul Davies pulled the meeting back and asked the panel to answer the question: “What solutions can you bring forward to start alleviating the issues?

“Because so far I am not hearing any.”

Richard from the NRW said that before work could be started, time has been taken to map the area and it’s specific issues, but further studies would need to take place to more studies and surveys would need to be completed.

He expressed that because it is a small harbour there are limits to what can be done, and lots of this they cannot do as it would spoil the scenery.

Paul Davies asked him to confirm: “Are you saying that further studies will need to be done?”

To which Richard replied: “Studies will be done, but I can’t promise you when they will be done, as any public funded body, we have to do things in a prioritised way.

“We have done what we can for Lower Town Fishguard.” He continued: “at the moment we have done what we can for residents in the short term.”

A local woman stood up and said: “So basically what you are saying is that you will not be doing anything!”

He responded: “I didn’t say that.” another man jumped in and said: “If it’s already taken two years to get this report, how many more years will it take for the next?”

Richard responded: “It really depends on availability of funds.”

Asked if they will be consulting the locals in any further reports, he replied by saying that they would. At which point several locals raised their voices and stated that is was not done with the current report.

The meeting closed with Richard saying that in the short term nothing will be done for Lower Town, and after being questioned as to how long ‘the short term’ was, he responded by saying it all depends on fund.

Richard then spoke about some solutions and concluded by saying: “If the cost of the measures are not much less than the damages that it is stopping, the works will not be allowed to go ahead.”

A local man asked: “I’ve got a simple question, give us a clue when it is going to start?”

Richard replied: “It is not in the short term, that is all I can say. It is all a question of resources and priority.”

Education

Having a laugh? Scientists question inherited joke telling skills

Published

8 hours ago

July 8, 2025

Tom Sinclair

SCIENTISTS are starting to question whether being able to crack a good joke runs in the family, according to new research.

In the first ever study to look at the influence of genes and the environment on comedic abilities, scientists compared over a thousand twins by asking them to rate their own humour and create funny captions for cartoons.

The new findings, published in the journal ‘Twin Research and Human Genetics’, revealed that the scores people gave their own humour were influenced by both inherited and environmental factors.

However, when their captions were judged independently, there was no evidence that they inherited their humorous talents. Instead, all individual differences were shaped by their environment, though a small genetic effect could not be ruled out.

The results suggest that the reasons why you are funny or your jokes bomb may be more complex and difficult to assess than other cognitive abilities.

It could also help explain the rarity of comedy duos from the same family – such as the Chuckle Brothers or the Marx Brothers – compared to actors, musicians or writers.

Lead author of the study, Dr Gil Greengross from the Psychology Department at Aberystwyth University, said: “Despite humour’s importance, relatively little is known about how we develop our sense of humour or why one sibling can be funny and another cannot. Our study’s finding that these talents are not inherited is surprising, as it contradicts most research on the heritability of cognitive abilities such as creativity and mathematical skills. So, it is really fascinating. But, since this is the first study of its kind, these results should be interpreted with caution.

“Telling a joke may seem simple but having a good sense of humour is a complex and unique trait influenced by numerous psychological attributes and personality characteristics. It varies across different social contexts, like when going on a date or entertaining. This may explain why, Chuckle and Marx Brothers aside, there are few successful comedians from the same immediate family.

“What is exciting about this research is it begs the question: if our sense of humour is not handed down from our parents but comes from our environment, what is it precisely that makes us funny?”

The findings also have implications for how scientists think about humour’s role in evolution and even dating.

Dr Greengross added: “These early findings also challenge the widely accepted evolutionary basis of humour. A great sense of humour can help ease tension in dangerous situations, foster cooperation, break down interpersonal barriers, and attract mates—all of which enhance survival and reproduction.

“There are also intriguing dating and mating aspects to this. Previous research has shown that women prioritise comedic talents in a partner more than do men, whereas men value a women’s ability to appreciate their humour. Men experience stronger selection pressure to be funny to impress women, leading to men having slightly higher humour ability, on average—a finding supported by our study. Furthermore, men rated themselves as funnier than women, likely reflecting an awareness of humour’s importance in female mate choice.”

The research team is now conducting further studies to test the findings with different sample groups of twins.

News

Coal trucks could return to centre of Saundersfoot in tribute to mining past

Published

8 hours ago

July 8, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A TRIO of ornamental coal trucks could soon be installed in the heart of Saundersfoot to honour the village’s historic links to the coal-mining industry.

The replica trucks—made from cast iron and fibreglass—are proposed for a spot at the front of the Sensory Gardens, close to the former Coal Office which now houses part of the harbour’s heritage display.

Saundersfoot flourished in the 19th century as a port exporting anthracite from local mines. It was once claimed that Queen Victoria insisted only Saundersfoot coal be used to power her Royal Yacht.

“This village owes its existence to the coal trade,” said Councillor Chris Williams, who represents Saundersfoot South and is chairing the group behind the plans. “Many people don’t realise how vital the mining industry was to the development of Saundersfoot.”

The display would be paid for and maintained by the Saundersfoot Festivities Committee, which runs events such as the popular New Year’s Day Swim and SaundersFest. The community council would look after the surrounding plants and landscaping, and handle the insurance.

As well as commemorating the village’s industrial past, the project would help smarten up the garden area, Cllr Williams added.

The idea has won widespread support locally, with more than 93 per cent of over 200 respondents to an online poll backing the proposal. A public consultation is currently under way and is due to end on July 20, when the community council will decide whether to take the next step and apply for planning permission.

Photo caption:

Proposed site – the coal trucks would sit at the front of the Sensory Gardens (Pic: Saundersfoot Community Council).

Health

Hundreds speak out as NHS waiting list scandal deepens in west Wales

Published

8 hours ago

July 8, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Patients say they were removed without warning, left in pain, or forgotten entirely – now they want answers

A WAVE of testimony from Pembrokeshire patients has revealed the true scale of the NHS waiting list crisis, with more than 100 people coming forward in just a few days to share stories of lost letters, cancelled appointments, and being removed from hospital care without ever being told.

Following a public appeal by The Pembrokeshire Herald, readers responded in force — describing what they call a “shambolic” system, in which patients are being quietly dropped from waiting lists, given incorrect or late information, and forced to chase departments that never answer the phone.

Letters never arrived — then the appointment was gone

One mother told the Herald she only discovered her young son had been removed from a waiting list for surgery after chasing a non-existent appointment.

“We never received the original letter. Then we turned up for a new date, only to be told it had been cancelled — but no one told us,” she said. “Later, they told me he’d been removed from the list for missing appointments we never knew about.”

In another case, a mother of a child with a rare genetic condition said her daughter was due annual dermatology reviews — but after a cancellation in 2023, she heard nothing for months. In February this year, she received a letter stating her daughter had missed an appointment and was being removed. She said: “We never got the original appointment, and when we finally got one for April, it was cancelled too. We’ve heard nothing since.”

Voicemail chaos and ‘no way to contact anyone’

A recurring theme in the responses was departments not answering their phones, and voicemail systems that lead nowhere.

One woman, removed from a physio course after a single missed session, said: “I rang three times that day, left a full message explaining I was unwell, but no one ever rang me back. Then a letter came saying I’d been removed from the course. I tried ringing again — just voicemail. After the second time, I gave up.”

In another case, a patient who had been waiting for diabetic retinopathy screening since before Covid told us: “I’ve phoned multiple times over three years. Every time they say they’ll send an appointment. I’ve given up.”

One former patient said he was moved to the back of the list after a missed telephone consultation — even though the doctor rang an hour early, and never called again.

GP failures and missed referrals

Many readers raised concerns about general practice as well as hospitals, claiming referrals were never sent or followed up.

One woman wrote: “If my old GP had referred me straight away, I wouldn’t be in the state I am now. As soon as I changed surgeries, I was seen — but by then the damage was done. My life’s been ruined.”

Another reader commented that her father never got the treatment he needed, and believes that delays in referrals contributed to his death.

Transport cancellations and “cheating the system”

Several readers also raised concerns about non-emergency ambulance transport being cancelled at short notice, leaving vulnerable patients unable to attend appointments.

One woman said: “My dad has had his transport cancelled the night before appointments. We had no backup, and he missed it.”

Another reader wrote: “It’s all about stats. They remove people from the list, say they’ve missed appointments, and it makes the waiting time numbers look better. It’s cheating, plain and simple.”

Health board responds — but no figures yet

Hywel Dda University Health Board has responded to the Herald’s request for comment, stating it follows strict national protocols and that any patient removed in error will be reinstated at their original place on the list.

In a statement, Director of Operational Planning and Performance Keith Jones said: “We make every effort to send appointment letters in a timely manner and it is part of our procedure to phone a patient should we need to see them at short notice or to cancel appointments.

We have received feedback from some patients of incidences where appointment letters have not been received in a timely manner. We are reviewing the factors which may lead to late receipt of appointment letters and will implement any necessary improvements.”

The health board also promotes a digital system, Hywel Dda Post, for accessing appointment details online. However, patients have reported issues with this too — particularly those without smartphones or digital literacy.

The board was unable to provide any figures on how many patients have been removed from waiting lists over the last five years and advised the Herald to submit a Freedom of Information request, which has now been done.

Public anger growing

With more than 100 people coming forward in less than 48 hours, public anger is mounting. Many say they are being pushed toward private treatment, or simply left to suffer for years.

“I’ve been in chronic pain for over a decade waiting for three surgeries,” one woman wrote. “I’ve lost 11 years of my life.”

Another added: “It’s not just the health board. Welsh Labour has failed us for years. They have money for road signs and tree projects abroad — but not for our surgeries.”

What’s next?

The Herald will continue to investigate this issue and publish further updates once the FOI response is received.

We are compiling a formal submission to both the Health Board and the Welsh Government, including anonymised patient testimonies, to call for a public explanation of how waiting lists are managed — and how many patients have been quietly removed.

If you or a family member has experienced anything similar — missed letters, unexplained removals, transport cancellations, or GP referral failures — you can contact us in confidence at:

📧 [email protected]