News
Keeping pupils safe on school transport this September
PEMBROKESHIRE County Council is sharing important details on the safe operation of school transport ahead of the return to school next month.
Planning has been ongoing throughout the summer with pupils due to return to schools from September 1.
In the first instance, parents and carers are still encouraged to take their own child/children to school wherever possible using active travel by walking or cycling.
If private car use is necessary, parents and carers are encouraged to park away from the school site and use active travel to travel the remaining distance.
For those planning on using school/college transport, all education transport routes will operate as normal and timetables will remain the same as before the Covid-19 situation.
Pupils/students should not travel if they are: experiencing any Covid-19 symptoms – new and continuous cough, high temperature or loss of taste and smell self-isolating as a result of Covid-19 symptoms or sharing a household with somebody with symptoms clinically extremely vulnerable
As part of the measures to keep pupils/students as safe as possible, school transport operators will be continuing their increased cleaning regimes on all vehicles.
This includes the cleaning of all touch points after each passenger journey and a full deep clean of each vehicle at the end of the day.
Before boarding and when leaving the vehicle, pupils/students should use the hand sanitisers provided and should avoid touching surfaces wherever possible.
With all pupils set to return to school, please note that it will not be possible to ensure social distancing between pupils on school transport.
However, front seats of larger buses will be out of bounds to maintain social distancing between the driver and the pupils.
It will be mandatory for all secondary school pupils and college students to wear face coverings whilst travelling on all education transport- including taxis utilised for school transport – unless they are exempt.
For primary school pupils the wearing of face coverings is recommended and actively encouraged.
Extra dedicated education transport is being put in place for eligible pupils who normally travel on public transport but will not be able to do so in September due to reduced capacity on service buses.
To maintain on-vehicle social distancing protocols, concessionary school bus passes will only be issued before the start of the new academic year if it is clearly identifiable from the number of passes issued that there are going to be spare seats available on a particular
Route.
Applications for other routes will be reviewed as soon as the numbers travelling have been finalised.
If parents DO NOT require School Transport for their child in September 2020, please contact the Council’s Integrated Transport Unit (ITU) on 01437 775222 / 01437 776363 or:
[email protected]
Pembrokeshire County Council Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, Cllr Guy Woodham, emphasised that the safety of pupils, students and transport staff has been at the heart of the Process.
Cllr Woodham added: “Covid-19 has thrown up a series of unprecedented challenges to how we provide safe transport to and from schools and college.
“While social distancing may not be possible for pupils and students aboard education transport, the measures introduced following discussions between Council officers and school transport providers will help keep everyone as safe as possible.
“There will be mandatory wearing of face coverings for all secondary school pupils and college students and we would also urge primary school pupils to wear a face covering on all school transport too.
“With everyone continuing to practise good hand hygiene we will be in the best position possible to ensure learners are able to travel safely and ready to return to their classes.”
Further information on school transport from September can be found here: https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/children-and-schools-transition-to-the-new-normal/covid-19-school-transport-information
News
Pembrokeshire miracle cat survives journey beneath moving recovery truck
Zyla the fun-loving feline had a day to remember on Monday after climbing on the chassis of a recovery truck parked close to her home in Neyland.
After curling up into a cosy little ball, the 14-year-old cat found herself being whizzed around the roads of Pembrokeshire. And her journey continued on into the evening.
Just before 7pm, when the truck driver returned to Neyland, he heard some plaintive little cries coming from beneath his vehicle.
“They were quite loud cries, and when my partner went to investigate, this little beauty made an appearance,” said the recovery driver’s partner, Emma Louise James.
“We’ve no idea how she managed to stay securely on the vehicle throughout the afternoon because the truck had been on recoveries over quite a wide area including Whitland, Haverfordwest and Clarbeston Road.”.
Despite appearing to be uninjured, Emma decided to take the cat to the local vets in order that she could be scanned for a microchip. They also put photographs of her on social media, hoping that her owner would recognise her and come forward.
Sure enough, after no fewer than 1,700 shares, her owner, Paula Busby, was able to breathe a sigh of relief when she learned that her precious little Zyla was safe and well.
“This was one of the best presents I could have had,” Paula told The Herald.
“The last time I saw Zyla was mid afternoon on Monday. I slipped out for a few hours but when I came back,the alarm bells immediately started ringing because Zyla always responds to the whistle. But when I blew the whistle, there was no sign of her.”
Paula’s concerns were exacerbated by the fact that a few days previously, little Zyla had suffered a seizure and was booked in to see the vet.
“So in many ways, her adventure has been something of a blessing,” continued Paula. “While she was at the vets she had another fit which enabled the vet to carry out some tests which confirmed that she has epilepsy. So from now on she’s on medication to help her.
“When you consider how long she spent underneath the recovery truck, it really is a miracle that she survived. From now on we shall be keeping a very close eye on her.
“We’re just so grateful to the hundreds of people who shared the post on Facebook and of course to Emma and her partner for doing everything they could to help little Zyla.
“She really is a miracle.”
Crime
Lamphey man stole £1,300 from train passengers’ bags
A LAMPHEY man has been sentenced for stealing £1,300 in cash and bank cards from passengers’ bags on the Tenby-Pembroke Dock train.
The court heard that on August 11, Luke Brummit, 46, removed two rucksacks from the luggage rack and searched them.
“The defendant took the bags into another carriage, searched them, and removed a purse and wallet before leaving the bags beneath the seat,” Crown Prosecutor Derek Davies told magistrates.
Brummit also admitted stealing £86.06 worth of items, including two legs of lamb and bottles of beer, from Sainsbury’s in Tenby on September 19.
Defence solicitor Tom Lloyd said Brummit has since taken steps to address his behaviour: “He’s doing better than he’s ever done and is working to improve his conduct.”
Magistrates imposed an 18-month community order, including 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days and a 120-day alcohol monitoring programme. Brummit must pay £1,300 compensation to the victim, £86.06 to Sainsbury’s, a £114 court surcharge, and £85 in costs.
Crime
Ex-refinery worker sentenced for harassment and stalking in Milford Haven
A FORMER refinery worker has been sentenced after harassing his ex-partner by dumping rubbish in her garden and shouting through her letterbox.
Haverfordwest magistrates heard that on June 14, at around 6:20am, Kyle Allerton, 29, arrived at Leah Jenkins’ property in Milford Haven after attempting to call and text her earlier that morning.
“He rang her at around 6:00am, then turned up at her property at 6:22am,” Crown Prosecutor Derek Davies said.
“He shouted through the letterbox, demanding she come to the door or window to talk to him. He then emptied bins over her garden before driving off in a white van.”
Jenkins said in her victim impact statement: “I feel harassed by his actions and worried about what he might have done.”
Probation officer Courtney Colman explained that Allerton had struggled to cope with the end of their seven-year relationship, turning to alcohol as a coping mechanism.
“He was drinking up to ten cans a day, which contributed to his losing his job at the refinery,” she said.
Allerton pleaded guilty to harassment. Magistrates imposed a 12-month community order, including 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 10 hours of unpaid work. He must pay a £114 court surcharge and £85 in costs.
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