News

Half of people in Wales do no exercise

Published

10 years ago

May 19, 2016

BRITAIN is a nation of couch potatoes with almost half of us failing to undertake any cardio exercise whatsoever, according to new research which adds that 51% of us living in Wales also don’t participate in any.

The study also revealed that people in Northern Ireland were the biggest couch potatoes in the whole of the UK with a massive 58% admitting to no cardio exercise whatsoever. This compared with 47%, in England, 51%, in Wales and 53% in Scotland.

The study, undertaken by YouGov on behalf of leading sports nutrition company Predator Nutrition, looked at the lifestyle habits of more than 2,000 men and women from across the UK.

Almost half, 48%, said they did no cardio exercise at all with a further 25% saying they did one hour a week or less.

That means only around one quarter of the population are exercising for more than an hour each week.

Women were more likely to be couch potatoes than men with 50% of all women saying they did no cardio compared with 45% of men.

More than two thirds of Britons don’t bother to train with weights with only 31% of those questioned ever bothering to pick up a dumbbell.

Almost three quarters of women, 73%, don’t do any strength training at all compared with almost two thirds, 64%, of UK men. Almost one in five of us, 19%, said climbing an average flight of stairs would leave us out of breath, with 3% saying they would be gasping for air by the top.

Worryingly it seems more and more of us are choosing to spend our free time sitting around on our backsides with 8% admitting to sitting down for 11 hours or more every day. While more than a third, 34%, said they sat down for at least seven hours every day.

The study also revealed that a massive 16% of UK adults admitted to eating sugary and processed food every day while almost two thirds of us, 65%, said they ate them at least once each week.

Only a tiny minority, 6%, claimed to eat their recommended five portions of fruit and veg each week with 2% saying they ate no fruit and veg whatsoever and more than a fifth, 22%, saying they ate less than seven portions a week.

A spokesman for Predator Nutrition said: “With obesity on the rise in the UK it is disappointing to discover that so many of us are still not finding the time to exercise.

“We were shocked to discover that only about half of Britons bother to get any form of cardio exercise at all.

“Working out with weights can have a massive impact on our fitness levels and our weight – yet less than a third of adults train their muscles.

“Only a quarter of women and a third of men bother to work out with weights despite this being a highly efficient way to exercise.

“It seems many people are still intimidated by weight training yet combined with cardio exercise there are proven health benefits.

“We hope our study will highlight that more needs to be done to encourage people to quit their bad habits and adopt a healthier lifestyle.”

Crime

Haverfordwest man sent to Crown Court on multiple serious charges

Published

19 minutes ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

Defendant remanded in custody

A HAVERFORDWEST man has been sent to Swansea Crown Court to stand trial on a series of A 49-year-old Haverfordwest resident has been committed to Swansea Crown Court to face trial on multiple serious charges deemed too grave for magistrates to handle.

David Guy, of Market Street, Haverfordwest, appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates facing a series of allegations stemming from a single case. The charges, which were not detailed in open court, include:

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
A second count of assault
Criminal damage
An additional allegation of interpersonal violence
A public order offence

Magistrates declined jurisdiction, determining that the matters exceeded their sentencing powers, and sent the case in its entirety to Swansea Crown Court.

Guy was remanded in custody pending his next appearance. The court register notes: “Sent to Crown Court for trial in custody – next hearing at Swansea Crown Court.”

A date for the initial Crown Court hearing will be set administratively. Guy will remain in custody until then.

The Pembrokeshire Herald will provide further updates as the case progresses in the Crown Court.

Crime

Castlemartin man back before magistrates over multiple alleged assaults

Published

25 minutes ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

Defendant remanded on conditional bail ahead of further hearing

A CASTLEMARTIN man has appeared repeatedly before magistrates this month over a string A 40-year-old man from Castlemartin has made repeated appearances before magistrates this month in connection with a series of serious alleged offences, including assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), intentional non-fatal strangulation, common assault, and criminal damage.

Anthony Alcock, of Pwll Street, Castlemartin, is facing six linked charges stemming from incidents said to have occurred earlier this year. These appear to relate to the same complainant in what is understood to be a single ongoing domestic abuse prosecution.

During recent administrative hearings at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court, Alcock did not enter pleas while matters of bail and case management were addressed.

Charges Include:

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
Intentional non-fatal strangulation
Common assault on a woman
Criminal damage in a domestic context
Additional assault allegations involving the same complainant
Breach of bail conditions

Alcock was initially granted conditional bail but was subsequently brought before the court on two occasions for alleged breaches. On those instances, magistrates remanded him in custody ahead of further hearings. He was later re-granted conditional bail, subject to strict conditions such as no contact with the complainant and exclusion from specified locations.

Magistrates have now declined jurisdiction, ruling that the case—particularly the more serious charges involving non-fatal strangulation—is too grave for summary trial. It has been committed to Swansea Crown Court for plea, trial, or sentencing.

No detailed evidence has been presented in open court at this preliminary stage. Alcock remains on conditional bail pending his next appearance at the Crown Court.

Crime

Rogue roofer conned homeowner out of thousands

Published

42 minutes ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

Caerphilly investigation leads to court conviction

A ROGUE trader from Pembroke has been ordered to pay more than £6,000 after duping a homeowner into handing over thousands for unnecessary roofing work.

Douggie Whitbread, aged twenty-five and living at Coldwell Terrace, Pembroke, persuaded his victim that he “probably needed a new roof” before charging £4,350 for work that was either unnecessary or not carried out properly.

Whitbread admitted two counts of fraud relating to a property on Griffiths Street, Ystrad Mynach, with the offences taking place between August 12 and October 16, 2023.

He appeared before Cwmbran Magistrates’ Court, where he was ordered to pay a total of £6,130. That includes £4,350 in compensation, £1,500 in prosecution costs, a £200 fine, and an £80 victim surcharge.

The case was brought following an investigation by Caerphilly Trading Standards, who urged residents to be cautious of unsolicited offers of home maintenance work.