News

Private enforcement agents will issue fines for littering

Published

7 years ago

September 6, 2018

PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL have carried out a successful tender to engage an enforcement team to issue fines in order to deal with environmental issues, including dog fouling and littering.

The Authority has awarded a contract to a specialised company District Enforcement. They will be operational on the streets of Pembrokeshire as from September 10.

Uniformed Environmental Enforcement Officers will be operating in all parts of the County on the streets, car parks and on other open land that the public have access to.

Anyone witnessed littering by the officers will be issued with a £150 fixed penalty notice, which will be discounted to £75 if paid within 10 days, the council has said.

The council said: “The Environmental Services team have been working through the mobilisation plan with the company and you will probably have seen the recent press release.

“The contract will deal initially with littering, dog fouling and other anti-social behaviour.

“From listening to residents we know how important it is for our local area to be clean, free from litter and dog fouling and a pleasant environment in which to live. Despite all Pembrokeshire County Council’s efforts to keep the area clean and litter-free some individuals continue to drop litter, fail to clean up after their dog or carry out other anti-social behaviour.

“As part of a continuing commitment to improve the local environment for the benefit of us all this contract will enable us to increase our capacity to deal with environmental enforcement across the County.”

District Enforcement, based in Leicestershire, says on its website: “Dog mess and litter can destroy visitor attractions. Working closely with our Local Authority partners, we have developed a robust process to issue, enforce and ultimately prosecute environmental crime offences.

“Utilising the legal experience of our senior management team, evidence is gathered in accordance with PACE guidelines and ‘ready to prosecute’ files are compiled providing an end to end solution to anti-social behaviour.”

Community

Milford Haven paddling pool open daily at 10:00am — safety reminder issued

Published

2 hours ago

July 10, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Town council urges parents to supervise children at all times

MILFORD HAVEN TOWN COUNCIL has reminded visitors to the children’s paddling pool on The Rath that the facility opens daily at 10:00am, and that children must be supervised by a responsible adult.

In a bilingual safety poster shared online, the council set out simple but essential rules to help ensure the pool remains a safe and fun space throughout the summer holidays. While the pool is popular with families, the council warns that it is not officially supervised, and users do so at their own risk.

The key rules include:

Children must be accompanied by an adult.
No running or diving in or around the pool.
No food, drink, or glass bottles in the water area.
No dogs are allowed within the paddling pool zone.
Littering is strictly prohibited.

A council spokesperson said: “Hi everyone, a polite request: we ask that all children be supervised by a responsible adult while using the pool. Thank you.”

There is no formal age limit for the pool, but younger children will be given priority, especially during busy times.

Local families have praised the pool since it reopened, with one visitor, Linda Phillips, commenting: “We’ve just spent two hours there. Great effort everyone! The youngsters are really enjoying it.”

Milford Haven Town Council thanked her for the feedback, calling it “lovely to hear.”

Opening times or access arrangements may change due to weather or maintenance — updates will be posted on the council’s official Facebook page.

Caption:

Splash safely: Milford Haven Town Council’s new bilingual poster reminds families to supervise children and follow the rules while enjoying the paddling pool on The Rath this summer (Pic: Herald).

News

Stricken boat rescued off Ramsey Island after gearbox failure

Published

7 hours ago

July 10, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Off-duty RNLI crew member steps in to assist with tow to safety

ST DAVIDS RNLI all-weather lifeboat launched at 6:20pm on Wednesday (July 9) to assist a 28-foot motorboat that had suffered drive shaft failure near Ramsey Island.

The vessel, which had departed from Porthclais harbour with two people on board, was left without propulsion due to gearbox issues and was drifting dangerously close to cliffs.

The call for assistance was received at 6:09pm, and the lifeboat was launched just over 10 minutes later. Calm sea conditions allowed the volunteer crew to reach the scene swiftly. A local recreational boat from Voyages of Discovery had been standing by the stricken vessel until the lifeboat arrived.

Given the boat’s proximity to the cliffs and inability to manoeuvre, the coxswain made the decision to tow it back to Porthclais. However, the harbour is inaccessible to the RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat.

Fortunately, off-duty crew member Robin was nearby on his own vessel and was able to take over the tow and bring the motorboat safely into the harbour.

The lifeboat and crew returned to station by 7:40pm.

Crime

Motorist sentenced over crash that left biker with life-changing injuries

Published

8 hours ago

July 10, 2025

Court Reporter

A PEMBROKESHIRE man who caused life-changing injuries to a motorcyclist in a serious crash at Merlin’s Bridge has been sentenced at Swansea Crown Court.

JAMES IAN PUTTOCK appeared before the court on Wednesday (July 2), where he pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by careless or inconsiderate driving, contrary to section 2C of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

The collision occurred on December 20, 2022, at Merlin’s Bridge, near Haverfordwest, and involved a red Suzuki Splash driven by Puttock and a motorcyclist.

The rider suffered what police described at the time as “life-changing injuries” and was airlifted to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. The road was closed for several hours while crash investigators examined the scene.

Puttock had originally been due to stand trial, as previously reported by The Pembrokeshire Herald in January 2024. However, he entered a guilty plea ahead of trial.

At sentencing, the court imposed the following:

20 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months
10 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR) days
12-month driving disqualification

The Herald understands the crash had a profound impact on the injured rider and their family, who are still dealing with the long-term consequences of the incident.