News
Five year ban for man with lice riddled puppies

MAGISTRATES at Haverfordwest Law Court have imposed a five year ban from keeping animals on a 27-year-old man who sold puppies that were riddled with lice.
Timothy Dean Lovell, of The Hills Caravan Park of Haverfordwest, pleaded guilty to charges of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and failing to ensure that the needs of an animal were kept.
John Tarrant, who was prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said: “On November 22, 2016 Katherine Press responded to Gumtree advert for a Springer Spaniel.
“The seller was a person named Timmy, and contact was to be made by text, and she had done so. She attended and spoke to a person called Michelle, and was taken to a shed at the rear of the property.
“She chose a puppy that she called Bella – no papers were provided, and she was told that everything had been done at the vets. She put puppy in a vest to travel, and thought she saw what looked like sawdust on its coat, but it appeared to be moving.
“She immediately contacted her vets, who described her as quiet and bordering on depressed, with an infestation of biting lice. The vet said that it was the worst infestation he had witnessed since becoming a vet, and it was likey the puppy had been suffering sicne birth, which would have been 2-5 weeks.”
The court heard that Ms Press said the puppy was suffering with malnutrition, and had a heart condition. She wrapped the puppy in a dressing gown before going to bed, and in the morning the dressing gown was covered in ‘hundreds of dead lice’.
Bella’s condition ‘quickly resolved itself’.
Mr Tarrant said: “She phoned [Lovell] to say she wasn’t happy with the condition of Bella. He seemed shocked at the condition of the puppy, and offered to swap it with another one – she refused that.
“He made contact with the vets, and agreed to return £100 into her bank account.”
The court also heard that in January this year, Ms Becky Rates was looking for a puppy for her mother, and she too found an advert on Gumtree’s website. She paid a £100 deposit and drove to Lovell’s address.
Mr Tarrant said: “[Lovell] waved them down and she was handed a box with a puppy inside. She noticed immediately what she thought was a skin condition, however £250 in cash was given.
“During the journey back home she noticed the puppy’s skin was dry with flakes, fleas with scabs on its skin. Lovell said he had been given wormer by the RSPCA, but box puppy had came in smelt dirty.
“She was immediately concerned about the safety of the puppy. The puppy had been scratching itself near the ears.”
The court heard that when the puppy was re-examined in 2017, it had made a ‘remarkabe transformation’, and had a shiny coat, no pot belly, a bright demeanour, and a 59% increase in body weight.
Mr Tarrant said that Lovell claimed he had gone to Pets At Home and bought flea and wormer, stating he didn’t think anything was particularly wrong. He said: “They were accidental litters, and denied it was to make money.”
In Lovell’s defence, Jane Thomas told the court that he did not deliberately set out to hurt the animals, and wasn’t prepared for family dog to have so many puppies, and he ‘didn’t really know how to care for them’.
In addition to being banned from keeping animals, he was also made subject to a 12 month community order, with the requirement of completing 150 hours of unpaid work.
Keith Hogben, RSPCA inspector, said: “Sadly, this man chose to make a quick buck from ill pups – flogging these two defenceless creatures when they urgently needed his support.
“The man chose cash over compassion, but thankfully both pups have recovered from the ordeal, and are now doing well in loving new homes.
“Owning animals is a privilege, and this case shows the RSPCA will not stand-by when people treat breeding pets as a cash bonus without necessary regard for the welfare of the animals involved.”
Community
Ground breaking event marks start of key Haverfordwest Public Transport project

KIER and Pembrokeshire County Council held a traditional ground breaking event at Haverfordwest Public Transport Interchange (HPTI) last month – celebrating the official start of work on site.
Council members including the Leader Councillor Jon Harvey, Deputy Leader Councillor Paul Miller, Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services Councillor Rhys Sinnett and for Haverfordwest Castle ward Councillor Thomas Tudor, joined Kier for the event with the ceremonial breaking of the ground marking a key milestone in the project’s progress.
The scheme includes the construction of a modern bus station and multi-storey car park to Haverfordwest’s town centre, providing a new interchange for buses and coaches, with upgraded passenger facilities.
Designed by architects BDP and built by Kier, the completed scheme will include more than 300 parking spaces, seven bus bays, public toilets and accessible changing facilities for people with disabilities.
The project also has a number of sustainable features including electric vehicle charging facilities and an array of solar panels on the roof which will supply the vast majority of the building’s energy usage and help Pembrokeshire County Council meet their commitment to be net zero carbon by 2030.
Ian Rees, regional director at Kier Construction Western & Wales, said: “We have been on site for a number of months now undertaking essential enabling works, this ground breaking ceremony is an important milestone as we progress into the construction phase of this vitally important transport hub.
“This transport interchange for Pembrokeshire County Council will really begin to take shape over the coming weeks and months and will ultimately deliver a much-needed, modern transport hub for the local community, improving connectivity and accessibility for residents and visitors alike.”
Cllr Paul Miller, Deputy Leader of Pembrokeshire County Council, said: “It’s great to see work starting on this new transport interchange, which is an important part of the wider Haverfordwest Masterplan. It’s designed to make it easy and convenient to visit Haverfordwest town centre which is a key part of our efforts to regenerate the town.
“I think we can all agree the previous multi-story car park had reached the end of its useful life.
“Once we’ve completed this project, the town centre will be easily accessible both by bus and of course by car with the car park element of the project benefiting from wider spaces, EV Charging, single tap exit and payment and of course a much nicer, lighter and safer environment for users.”
Architects, landscape architects and civil and structural engineers from multidisciplinary design practice BDP designed the transport interchange.
Matthew Mayes, architect director at BDP, said: “This significant regeneration scheme will be transformational for local people, offering improved access to bus, taxi and cycling facilities with excellent connectivity to the riverside, shopping centre and railway centre.
“Our designs include striking aluminium fins that wrap around the building with stone cladding at ground level to reflect the town’s historic features and a new public square with plenty of greenery and seating for people to relax.”
Built on the site of a demolished multi-storey car park and bus station, HPTI will form part of the South West Wales Metro project, which aims to better integrate sustainable modes of transport and complements the wider regeneration work in Haverfordwest.
The design of HPTI is being funded from the Welsh Government’s Local Transport Fund.
Kier has significant experience in south-west Wales spanning over 60 years and has included the delivery of schools, hospitals and even the home of Welsh television, S4C, in Carmarthen.
This project was procured by Kier through the South West Wales Regional Contractors Framework (SWWRCF).
News
Welsh Government unveils new legislation to transform bus services

PROPOSALS to overhaul the way local bus services are planned and delivered across Wales have been published today, with the aim of improving services for passengers and encouraging more people to use public transport.
A new Bill has been laid before the Senedd which, if passed, will grant powers to establish a fully integrated bus network that puts passenger needs first.
Key proposals include creating one network, one timetable, and one ticket system across Wales. Services will be designed based on local knowledge but coordinated nationally by Transport for Wales, working in close partnership with local authorities and Corporate Joint Committees. The new system would primarily operate through franchised contracts delivered by private, public, and third sector operators.
Welcoming the Bus Services (Wales) Bill, Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales Ken Skates said the legislation had the potential to transform bus travel for communities across the country.
“This is a historic day for public transport in Wales as proposals for bus reform begin their journey through the Senedd,” said Mr Skates. “This is about putting people first—offering one network, one timetable and one ticket across Wales.
“Change is needed. While some areas are well-served, it’s not the case everywhere. I want a bus network that is reliable, affordable, easy to use, and better integrated with other modes of transport such as trains and active travel.
“The benefits are clear: improved access to services, greater equity for those most reliant on public transport, and a meaningful alternative to car travel.”
Buses carry around 190,000 passengers a day in Wales and account for three-quarters of all public transport journeys. The Bill aims to address common barriers to bus use—such as poor reliability, lack of ticket interoperability between operators, and weak links with other transport modes.
The public will benefit from clearer, easier-to-navigate timetables and more seamless transitions between buses and trains. Ticket revenue will be reinvested across the country, improving services in both rural and urban areas.
Mr Skates highlighted current examples of successful integration, including the TrawsCymru T1 service, which already offers joint bus and rail tickets, and the 1bws ticket in North Wales, valid on almost every local bus in the region.
“These examples show what can be achieved with joined-up thinking,” he said. “I don’t underestimate the scale of change this Bill represents, which is why the rollout will happen region by region. But when complete, it will be truly transformational.”
The rollout is expected to begin in South West Wales in 2027, followed by North Wales in 2028, South East Wales in 2029, and Mid Wales in 2030. However, Mid Wales will benefit from earlier improvements through the Bridge to Franchising programme, already underway.
Education
Welsh pupils harness Minecraft to explore offshore wind and climate careers

PUPILS at Golden Grove School in Pembrokeshire are diving into the world of renewable energy and marine conservation through the immersive Minecraft Education world Offshore Wind Power Challenge—a collaboration between The Crown Estate and Microsoft UK.

Available in both Welsh and English, the virtual world enables students to design and build their own offshore wind farms to power a coastal village. Along the way, they gain insights into climate change, environmental protection, and careers in sustainability, engineering and conservation.

The initiative has now been expanded with new classroom resources tailored for younger learners and aligned to the Welsh curriculum. Lesson plans for teachers are also being provided to support the integration of the material into everyday teaching.
As part of their focus on developing green skills in schools across Wales, The Crown Estate partnered with education specialists Dosbarth to create the new learning content. The organisation is currently delivering taster sessions across the country, including to Year 5 and 6 pupils at Golden Grove.
Wales is emerging as a leader in renewable energy, with new floating offshore wind farms set to be developed in the Celtic Sea under The Crown Estate’s latest seabed leasing round. These projects have the potential to generate up to 4.5GW of electricity—enough to power more than four million homes. Independent research estimates the economic value of these developments could reach £1.4bn, supporting up to 5,300 jobs.*
Rebecca Williams, Director of Devolved Nations at The Crown Estate, said: “This is an exciting collaboration that brings new educational content to schools through the best-selling game of all time. This Minecraft Education world provides students and teachers with a fun way to explore the opportunities and challenges of our energy transition while protecting the natural environment, through the languages that matter most to them.
“The Crown Estate is committed to creating partnerships that have a positive impact. We hope this initiative will inspire young people to develop their skills and discover the green careers of the future.”
Karen Jones, Managing Director of Dosbarth, added: “By creating new materials for younger audiences that align with the Welsh curriculum—and providing accessible lesson plans for busy teachers—we believe these resources will inspire even more pupils across Wales to become the next generation of environmental leaders and problem-solvers.”
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