News
It’s official! Pembrokeshire is best at recycling in Wales
PEMBROKESHIRE residents are the top recyclers in the country, it’s been announced.
The Welsh Government has named Pembrokeshire as the best-performing local authority area for recycling from April 2019 to April 2020.
A total of 72% of all household waste was recycled during the period – the highest figure Pembrokeshire has ever seen.
Cllr Cris Tomos, Cabinet Member for the Environment, said he could not thank local residents enough.
“This could not have been achieved without their efforts,” he said. “We are sincerely grateful.
“Pembrokeshire is number 1 for recycling in Wales. And Wales itself has the 2nd highest recycling rate in Europe and the 3rd highest in the world, so this achievement is incredibly impressive.”
But, he said, it was about more than figures.
“This is about providing a better future for our children. As so many people have said, there is no Planet B. All of us must do our bit to protect our environment for future generations.
“I am so encouraged by this progress in Pembrokeshire and hope very much that it will continue.”
One of the major factors behind the boost in figures is Pembrokeshire’s new waste and recycling kerbside collection scheme, launched in November 2019.
“The scheme has enabled people to recycle a wider range of items from home than before,” said Cllr Tomos.
“However, it was a big change. Not only were there new bags and boxes, but in some cases, new collection dates to get our heads around.
“I want to say thank you to everyone who persevered and made it work for them and their household. Their efforts to embrace it have led directly to these fantastic figures.
“And as always, I would also like to thank our collection crews, Waste and Recycling Centre operatives and the staff behind the scenes who have helped to make this all possible. They’ve been working incredibly hard this year and are a credit to the Council.”
Sarah Edwards, Strategic Project Manager for Waste and Recycling, echoed his sentiments and said the Council was also grateful to the Welsh Government’s Collaborative Change Programme, delivered by WRAP Cymru.
“Their support through our Waste Service review and the implementation of the new service was invaluable,” she said.
Environment Minister Lesley Griffiths said: “I would like to congratulate Pembrokeshire on becoming the top recycling authority in Wales in 2019/20.
“This is testament to the hard work of the Council and households across the county in moving over to a new kerbside collection scheme – thank you for your mighty efforts.
“I’m really pleased that the Welsh Government’s collaborative change programme, delivered by WRAP, has helped Pembrokeshire to achieve today’s results – congratulations.
“Wales is already a recycling nation and we can be very proud of our achievements.”
Crime
Woman stabbed partner in Haverfordwest before handing herself in
A WOMAN who stabbed her partner during a drug-fuelled episode walked straight into Haverfordwest Police Station and told officers what she had done, Swansea Crown Court has heard.
Amy Woolston, 22, of Dartmouth Street in Milford Haven, arrived at the station at around 8:00pm on June 13 and said: “I stabbed my ex-partner earlier… he’s alright and he let me walk off,” prosecutor Tom Scapens told the court.
The pair had taken acid together earlier in the day, and Woolston claimed she believed she could feel “stab marks in her back” before the incident.
Police find victim with four wounds
Officers went to the victim’s home to check on him. He was not there at first, but returned shortly afterwards. He appeared sober and told police: “Just a couple of things,” before pointing to injuries on his back.
He had three stab or puncture wounds to his back and another to his bicep.
The victim said that when he arrived home from the shop, Woolston was acting “a bit shifty”. After asking if she was alright, she grabbed something from the windowsill — described as either a knife or a shard of glass — and stabbed him.
He told officers he had “had worse from her before”, did not support a prosecution, and refused to go to hospital.
Defendant has long history of violence
Woolston pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding. The court heard she had amassed 20 previous convictions from 10 court appearances, including assaults, battery, and offences against emergency workers.
Defending, Dyfed Thomas said Woolston had longstanding mental health problems and had been off medication prescribed for paranoid schizophrenia at the time.
“She’s had a difficult upbringing,” he added, saying she was remorseful and now compliant with treatment.
Woolston was jailed for 12 months, but the court heard she has already served the equivalent time on remand and will be released imminently on a 12-month licence.
News
BBC apologises to Herald’s editor for inaccurate story
THE BBC has issued a formal apology and amended a six-year-old article written by BBC Wales Business Correspondent Huw Thomas after its Executive Complaints Unit ruled that the original headline and wording gave an “incorrect impression” that Herald editor Tom Sinclair was personally liable for tens of thousands of pounds in debt.

The 2019 report, originally headlined “Herald newspaper editor Tom Sinclair has £70,000 debts”, has now been changed.
The ECU found: “The wording of the article and its headline could have led readers to form the incorrect impression that the debt was Mr Sinclair’s personal responsibility… In that respect the article failed to meet the BBC’s standards of due accuracy.”
Mr Sinclair said: “I’m grateful to the ECU for the apology and for correcting the personal-liability impression that caused real harm for six years. However, the article still links the debts to ‘the group which publishes The Herald’ when in fact they related to printing companies that were dissolved two years before the Herald was founded in 2013. I have asked the BBC to add that final clarification so the record is completely accurate.”
A formal apology and correction of this kind from the BBC is extremely rare, especially for a story more than six years old.
Business
First wind turbine components arrive as LNG project moves ahead
THE FIRST ship carrying major components for Dragon LNG’s new onshore wind turbines docked at Pembroke Port last week, marking the start of physical deliveries for the multi-million-pound renewable energy project.
The Maltese-registered general cargo vessel Peak Bergen berthed at Pembroke Dock on Wednesday 26th November, bringing tower sections and other heavy components for the three Enercon turbines that will eventually stand on land adjacent to the existing gas terminal at Waterston.
A second vessel, the Irish-flagged Wilson Flex IV, has arrived in Pembroke Port today (Thursday) carrying the giant rotor blades.
The deliveries follow a successful trial convoy on 25 November, when police-escorted low-loader trailers carried dummy loads along the planned route from the port through Pembroke, past Waterloo roundabout and up the A477 to the Dragon LNG site.
Dragon LNG’s Community and Social Performance Officer, Lynette Round, confirmed the latest movements in emails to the Herald.
“The Peak Bergen arrived last week with the first components,” she said. “We are expecting another delivery tomorrow (Thursday) onboard the Wilson Flex IV. This will be blades and is currently showing an ETA of approximately 03:30.”
The £14.3 million project, approved by Welsh Ministers last year, will see three turbines with a combined capacity of up to 13.5 MW erected on company-owned land next to the LNG terminal. Once operational – expected in late 2026 – they will generate enough electricity to power the entire site, significantly reducing its carbon footprint.
The Weather conditions were favourable for the arrival of the Wilson Flex IV, which was tracking south of the Smalls at midnight.
The abnormal-load convoys carrying the components from the port to Waterston are expected to begin early next year, subject to final police and highway approvals.
A community benefit fund linked to the project will provide for residents in nearby Waterston, Llanstadwell and Neyland.
Further updates will be issued by Dragon LNG as the Port of Milford Haven as the delivery programme continues.
Photo: Martin Cavaney
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