News

£1,000 reward offered for illegal tree felling information

Published

7 years ago

May 3, 2018

THE PEMBROKESHIRE COAST NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY is offering a cash reward in return for help in identifying those responsible for the felling of more than 30 protected trees in Freshwater East.

The trees, which were mostly ash, sycamore and hawthorn, were part of a woodland that is protected by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO). Most of the trees were owned by the National Park Authority but some belonged to a local resident.

Park Authority Warden Manager (South) Tim Jones said: “The trees weren’t felled for firewood as the timber initially remained on site in a tangled mess. This was a case of criminal damage and a clear breach of the planning regulations.

“It was also a very demoralising blow to many in the community who campaigned long and hard to get the mature woodland protected, and a complete violation of the protection and respect that Local Nature Reserve status should have given the area.

“Nobody would have commissioned such work unless they stood to benefit from it, so the list of potential suspects is short. The police are continuing to investigate, but as yet there isn’t enough evidence to pursue things further.”

The Park Authority is offering a reward of £1,000 for information leading to a successful prosecution.

If you are found guilty of damaging a tree protected by a TPO, you could be hit with a fine of up to £2,500 per tree. Those found guilty of destroying a tree protected by a TPO can be fined as much as £20,000 per tree, although in serious cases the fine can be unlimited.

If you know who might have done this or commissioned the work, please contact Dyfed-Powys Police on 101 or the Authority on 01646 624800.

Community

Waste chaos continues in Pembrokeshire as council admits ‘resource challenges’

Published

4 mins ago

January 8, 2025

Tom Sinclair

PEMBROKESHIRE households are facing ongoing disruption to waste collections as the county council struggles with persistent ‘resource challenges’ following the festive period.

Residents across the county have reported overflowing bins and missed collections, with the council admitting approximately five per cent of collection rounds were disrupted last week due to staff shortages, vehicle breakdowns, and an increase in waste volumes.

A council spokesperson said: “The operational issues are resulting in many households not having their waste collected on their scheduled day. We are working to rectify this as soon as possible, but resource challenges remain.”

Residents are being urged to store waste and recycling materials where possible until their next scheduled collection. The council has also promised to keep its waste and recycling disruption webpage updated with the latest information.

Despite scheduling additional resources to cope with the expected increase in waste over Christmas, the council has been unable to meet demand. Councillor Rhys Sinnett, cabinet member for residents’ services, issued an apology to those affected.

“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused to residents,” he said. “Staff have been working throughout the festive period to manage collections, but vehicle breakdowns and staff availability have significantly hampered our efforts.”

In a bid to ease the backlog, residents are permitted to place one additional black bag of waste out for collection on their first residual waste collection day after Christmas. Recycling centres remain open, but pre-booking is required.

Latest Disruption Updates:

Saturday, 4th January 2025:

Milford Haven Area: Multiple streets, including Murray Road, Milton Crescent, Pill Lane, Warwick Road, Robert Street, and Dale Road, faced incomplete recycling collections due to resource issues. Some streets had food waste collected, while others saw partial or no recycling collections.
St Ishmaels, Sandy Haven, Marloes, Dale, Talbenny, Hasguard, Walwyns Castle: Collections were either incomplete or missed entirely.

The council has advised affected residents to store recycling until the next scheduled collection day or take it to local recycling centres.

Friday, 3rd January 2025:

Haverfordwest and Surrounding Areas: Key streets and neighbourhoods, including Cherry Grove, Queensway, Prendergast, Merlins Bridge, and St Thomas Green, experienced widespread disruption to recycling collections.
Rudbaxton, Poyston Cross, and parts of Crundale: Missed recycling collections were reported, with limited recovery achieved.

The council has stated that recollection efforts will continue into the following week.

Thursday, 2nd January 2025:

Stackpole, Manorbier, Freshwater East, Lamphey, and Monkton: Residents reported missed recycling collections, with some streets receiving food waste collection only.

Moving Forward:

The council assures residents that efforts to clear the backlog are ongoing. However, persistent resource challenges mean delays may continue.

Residents are encouraged to:

Store recycling where possible until the next scheduled collection.
Pre-book slots at local recycling centres.
Regularly check the council’s disruption webpage for updates.

For real-time updates on waste collections, residents are encouraged to visit the Pembrokeshire County Council website. The situation remains fluid, and further updates are expected as the council works to stabilise services.

Community

Firefighters rescue Shetland pony from stream in Haverfordwest

Published

11 mins ago

January 8, 2025

Tom Sinclair

AT 2:05pm on Monday (Jan 6), crews from Haverfordwest Fire Station responded to an incident in Merlin’s Bridge, Haverfordwest, where a Shetland pony had become stuck in a stream.

Although the pony was not in distress, the cold water posed a significant risk, and urgent intervention was required to prevent further harm.

With assistance from the RSPCA, the fire service’s animal rescue team utilised specialist equipment and their expertise to successfully free the pony from the stream. The animal was unharmed and safely returned to its owner.

The crew left the scene at 3:25pm.