News

Parents sued for share in £7 million estate

Published

11 years ago

March 28, 2014

A FARMER’S DAUGHTER from Whitland who claims she had to stay at home and tend the cows while her teenage siblings went dancing is now suing her elderly parents for a share of their £7 million estate.

Eirian Davies, aged 45, insists she was repeatedly assured by her parents, Tegwyn and Mary Davies, now in their 70s, that she would ultimately step into their shoes and take over the family’s ‘golden egg’ – thriving Caeremlyn Farm, Whitland, and its herd of pedigree Holstein cows.

She says a substantial stake in the 200-acre farm is no more than her due for the years of toil she put in, but her parents are fighting her every inch of the way and the case is now under the legal spotlight in the Court of Appeal.

Miss Davies testified at an earlier court hearing that she missed out on going to Young Farmers’ Club dances with her two sisters as a teenager because she had to stay at home to deal with her farming chores.

She said her parents told her that her sisters were not interested in the farm and that her patience would one day be rewarded.

“They always told me that the farm would be left to me. Even on my birthday, when the other girls were having things, they would say – ‘you will have the damn lot one day, it will all be yours’,” she told Judge Milwyn Jarman QC.

The judge found that Miss Davies had “established an entitlement to a beneficial interest in the farm or farming business” – but her parents are now challenging that ruling before three of the country’s most senior judges.

Timothy Fancourt QC, representing Mr Davies, aged 75, and his 76-year-old wife, argued their daughter had earned a fair income during her stints working on the farm and was provided with ‘bed and board’.

Her parents also put their daughter through agricultural college, said the QC, adding: “She said in terms that agriculture was her love and she wanted to be on the farm”.

Even when Miss Davies had worked elsewhere she failed to boost her earnings, said Mr Fancourt, pointing out that she only earned £5,000 while working as a consultant for Slimming World in 2006.

“So when the opportunity is there to do something else, she does worse”, the QC argued.

Insisting that she had suffered no ‘substantial detriment’ in reliance on anything her parents had said or done, he told the court there was no evidence that ‘she would have been better off’ had she not worked on the farm.

However, Leslie Blohm QC, for Miss Davies, said promises were made by her parents from 1985, when she was 17, and she had worked “extremely long hours” with the cows – at times underpaid, and sometimes for nothing.

If she complained to her parents about meagre wages, she was told that the farm would ultimately belong to her – and ‘not to kill the goose that laid the golden egg’, added the barrister.

Although Judge Jarman found that Miss Davies had ‘walked away from the farm’ for periods between 1989 and 2008, living and working elsewhere, she had eventually moved back home following a reconciliation with her parents.

Mr Blohm said the rapprochement also followed a ‘representation’ by her father that she could live on the estate, in Henllan Farmhouse, rent-free for life, and that she was to be a partner in the farming business.

In 2009, a pledge that she would inherit the farm was also made in a draft will, the barrister added.

However, following a final family ‘rupture’ in late 2012, her parents gave her notice to quit the farmhouse. Possession proceedings followed, but Miss Davies insisted she was entitled to a beneficial interest in the farm.

In his ruling last year, Judge Jarman said that, after periods away, Miss Davies had always returned home – “relying on the representations by continuing to work and live on the farm”.

And Mr Blohm told the court: “It is plain from the evidence that a talented, hard-working and capable lady has spent a substantial part of her adult life – over a period of 25 years – carrying out difficult physical work for the benefit of her parents.

“That was on the strength of their repeated representations that she would eventually take over the farm and business.

“If not for those representations she would have employed her skills elsewhere.”

Mr and Mrs Davies sat together in court throughout most of the hearing, although he later moved to a seat nearer to the judges as he is hard of hearing.

After several hours of legal debate, Lords Justice Richards, Underhill and Floyd reserved their decision on the couple’s appeal and will give their ruling at a later date.

Crime

Waste dumped at recycling centre leads police to drug factory near Cardigan

Published

4 hours ago

July 20, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Man jailed after drug discovery sparked by vigilant staff

A TIP-OFF from staff at an Aberystwyth recycling centre has led to the discovery of a large cannabis factory in a derelict property near Cardigan — and landed a 20-year-old man behind bars.

Manuel Nerguti was sentenced to six months in prison at Swansea Crown Court on Friday (July 11) after pleading guilty to producing a class B drug.

The court heard that on May 1 this year, workers at the Aberystwyth recycling centre reported a suspicious delivery: four to five bags of cannabis stalks, apparently dumped by men in a hired Ford Transit van.

Police acted quickly and intercepted the van later that afternoon on the road between Aberystwyth and Cardigan. Nerguti and two other men were arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of cannabis, but were released without charge at the time, as no grow site had been located.

However, a month later, acting on new intelligence, Dyfed-Powys Police executed a warrant at a derelict house in Bridell, near Cardigan. Inside, they discovered a sophisticated cannabis cultivation operation: 260 mature plants spread across five rooms and an attic, with the electricity supply illegally bypassed.

During the raid on June 7, Nerguti attempted to flee but was found hiding behind a washing machine in the garage.

He was charged and later pleaded guilty to producing cannabis.

Detective Constable Sam Garside, who led the investigation, praised the recycling centre staff for their quick thinking.

He said: “This result is thanks to the staff at the recycling centre for recognising that criminal activity was taking place and for alerting police quickly.

“We rely on the public to inform us of anything suspicious going on in their communities and we encourage people to get in touch if they suspect anything. We were able to use our local knowledge and police intelligence to execute a successful warrant and shut down an illegal cannabis factory.

“We are committed to continuing our drug operations across Dyfed-Powys and bringing offenders like Nerguti to justice.”

Police estimate the cannabis seized had a potential street value of up to £242,000.

More information on Operation Scotney — Dyfed-Powys Police’s campaign to tackle cannabis cultivation — including how to spot signs of a drug grow, can be found on their website.

News

Pembrokeshire County Council group to review ‘climate emergency’

Published

4 hours ago

July 20, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A CALL for a group to review Pembrokeshire County Council’s decision to declare a climate emergency some six years ago has been backed by councillors.

In May 2019, the council declare a climate emergency following a notice of motion by Cllr Joshua Beynon calling on the authority to back the global consensus that climate change poses a risk to the well-being of future generations.

He had urged county councillors to back a motion to take “bold, decisive action” to fight “truly, catastrophic” climate change.

He called on the council to commit to becoming a zero-carbon local authority by 2030.

At the July meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, a notice of motion by Cllr Mike Stoddart called for the establishment of a working group to review the decision made by the council to declare a climate change emergency.

Cllr Stoddart’s motion said: “Given the turbulence on the global financial markets; the parlous state of the UK’s public finances; Pembrokeshire County Council’s projected funding gap; and the government’s softening of its policies on the switch to EV vehicles and heat pumps, this council establishes a seven person, politically balanced working group to review the authority’s decision to declare a climate emergency at its meeting on May 9, 2019.

“The working group will be asked to: (a) examine the effect of the emergency declaration on the level of council tax in Pembrokeshire and particularly the extent to which any such increases militate against the authority’s anti-poverty policies.

“(b) The cost of decarbonising the council’s housing stock and the effect this has had on the authority’s ability to finance the building of new housing.

“(c) The extent to which the council’s decarbonisation programme has contributed to a reduction of the risk of runaway global temperature increases, and (d) any other effects that the working group considers may have adversely impacted the wellbeing of the residents of Pembrokeshire.”

Cllr Stoddart’s notice of motion was previously supported at the June meeting of the council’s corporate overview and scrutiny committee, with a recommendation to full council in July meeting, to reinstate the Net Zero Working Group to review the contents of the notice of motion and, subject to the outcome of this review, review the future delivery of the Net Zero Action Plan.

Cllr Stoddart’s call was backed by Cllr Steve Alderman, and Cllr Rhys Jordan, who said: “I fully support this, it couldn’t come sooner; around England and Wales councils are looking at this, there’s been a huge push for a ‘net zero’ agenda at any cost, I don’t think we’re in a position to drive that.”

Cllr Aaron Carey said: “We’ve set ourselves some lofty goals, but we haven’t got the money to back it up.”

Members overwhelmingly agreed to back the June committee recommendations.

News

Urgent appeal to save 1,000 hens in Pembrokeshire and beyond

Published

6 hours ago

July 20, 2025

Tom Sinclair

British Hen Welfare Trust seeks homes before Friday deadline

AN URGENT appeal has been launched to find homes for more than 1,000 hens due to be rehomed next weekend – including from a rescue centre in Boncath, Pembrokeshire.

The British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT) is coordinating the rehoming effort on Saturday (July 26), aiming to rescue ex-caged hens from slaughter and instead place them into loving homes. The appeal also covers rehoming centres in Locking, near Bristol, and Kineton in Warwickshire.

The charity says the hens have come to the end of their commercial egg-laying lives, but remain healthy and can thrive as pets. However, they must be rehomed by Friday (July 25) to avoid being needlessly killed.

“This is a time-sensitive and visual story that resonates locally,” said Andy Hill, Marketing & Communications Officer for the BHWT. “These hens have worked hard their whole lives and deserve a second chance.”

The organisation recently marked the rehoming of its one millionth hen – which was adopted by King Charles III – and the upcoming effort is part of its continued mission to improve hen welfare across the UK.

Local spokespeople are available for interview, and high-resolution images are available for media use.

For more information or to register interest in adopting hens, visit: www.bhwt.org.uk