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Steady growth for tourism industry

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screen-shot-2016-10-24-at-11-54-56NEWLY-RELEASED figures show the tourism industry in Pembrokeshire has experienced steady growth over the last seven years, and that visitors to the county are spending significantly more than they used to.

The total amount spent by visitors in local businesses topped a whopping £585 million last year, up from £502 million in 2009. That’s an increase of 16.5%.

Most of the additional spend on accommodation is in the serviced accommodation sector – hotels, guesthouses, inns and B&Bs. The number of staying visitors has remained fairly stable at 4.3 million but they are spending more.

Visitors who come to Pembrokeshire for the day but don’t stay overnight remain at about 10% of the total number of visitors.

Spending on food and drink has grown from £95 million in 2009 to £111 million in 2015. It has slowly overtaken spending on holiday accommodation in the last 10 years, which totalled £106 million last year. However, the accommodation sector still employs more than twice as many people.

The figures are from tourism data produced annually for local authorities in Wales known as STEAM (Scarborough Tourism Activity Monitor).

Alan Turner, Tourism Marketing and Development Manager at Pembrokeshire County Council, said: “It’s great to see tourism in Pembrokeshire continuing to prosper in an increasingly competitive and worldwide marketplace.

“The hard work of the Destination Pembrokeshire Partners will have played a significant role in generating this growth. The partnership includes the Pembrokeshire County Council’s tourism team, Pembrokeshire Tourism, PLANED and the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.

“Our own marketing activity has been performing particularly well, with the number of people accessing the Visit Pembrokeshire website topping 750,000 this year with three months still to go. PR activity and social media reach has also been extremely good.”

The positive trend appears to be continuing this year, with a combination of better weather and the uncertainty of Brexit encouraging visitors to ‘staycation’ in Wales. One prominent hotelier in Pembrokeshire even said it was ‘the best year the hotel has ever experienced’.

This optimism seems to be backed up by the Wales Tourism Business Barometer survey carried out by the Welsh Government during the summer. It suggested that the tourism industry in Wales has enjoyed a busy summer with ‘increased visitor levels across all industry sectors and regions of Wales’ and operators ‘fairly confident for the rest of the year’.

Keith Lewis, Cabinet Member at Pembrokeshire County Council responsible for Tourism, said: “These results show that the tourism industry is working hard to provide the type and quality of service that modern visitors are looking for.”

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Crime

Man charged with strangulation and assault offences after October incident

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A MAN recorded in court as having no fixed abode has appeared before magistrates charged with intentional strangulation and two further assault offences.

Michael Sudbury, 50, whose address was not read out in court, but in Herald records is Glan Hafan, Llangwm, appeared before the bench facing multiple charges.

The charges relate to an incident on 22 October 2025 and include:

  • Intentional strangulation, contrary to section 75A of the Serious Crime Act 2015
  • Common assault
  • Assault by beating

No further details of the alleged incident were opened in court, and no plea was entered at this stage.

Sudbury was remanded on conditional bail, with the case listed to return to magistrates later this month.

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Crime

Haverfordwest man sent to Crown Court on multiple serious charges

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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.

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Crime

Castlemartin man back before magistrates over multiple alleged assaults

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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.

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