TRANSPORT FOR WALES, in partnership with Network Rail, has announced a comprehensive programme of engineering works across the South West Wales rail network. The upgrades will modernize outdated signalling systems, telecoms, and power distribution equipment, improving the reliability of train services for passengers traveling in and out of the region.

Service disruptions and replacement buses

The works, scheduled over several weeks, will primarily take place overnight, but extended closures are also planned. Replacement bus services will operate during affected periods, ensuring passengers can still complete their journeys. The key disruptions and bus replacement schedules are as follows:

Dates and Affected Routes

1. January 14–17 (Tuesday to Friday):
   • Overnight works will cause evening and morning disruptions across the network.
2. January 25 – February 9 (Saturday to Sunday):
   • Significant closures will impact routes between Swansea, Carmarthen, Milford Haven, Pembroke Dock, and Fishguard Harbour.
3. February 11–14 (Tuesday to Friday):
   • Continued works with disruptions to evening and morning services.
4. February 17 (Monday):
   • Daytime service interruptions as work nears completion.

Replacement Bus Services by Route

Swansea – Carmarthen

• Sunday, January 12 & 19
• Saturday and Sunday, February 15–16
  • Replacement buses will run between Swansea and Carmarthen, with stops at key stations.

Fishguard Harbour – Carmarthen

• Monday to Friday, January 27–31
  • Daytime closures with bus services covering Fishguard Harbour, Fishguard & Goodwick, Haverfordwest, and Carmarthen.

Fishguard Harbour – Haverfordwest

• Saturday, January 25
• Saturday, February 1
• Monday to Saturday, February 3–8
  • Replacement buses will serve local stops during the closures.

Milford Haven – Carmarthen

• Monday to Thursday, January 27–30
  • Early afternoon closures daily; buses will operate between Milford Haven and Carmarthen with stops at Johnston, Haverfordwest, and Clarbeston Road.

Pembroke Dock – Carmarthen

• Saturday, February 1 – Friday, February 14
  • Long-term closures will be in place, with buses covering the route, including Tenby, Saundersfoot, and Kilgetty.

Key Replacement Bus Pick-Up Points

• Fishguard Harbour: Station entrance.
• Haverfordwest: Station front.
• Milford Haven: Station entrance.
• Tenby: Coach stop at the Upper Park Road car park.
• Pembroke Dock: Station entrance.

Passengers are advised to refer to local signage at stations for detailed bus stop locations.

Advice for Passengers TfW encourages all travellers to check their journeys in advance, as last-minute changes may occur. The latest updates can be accessed via the JourneyCheck website, the TfW app, or by contacting their customer service team at 0333 3211 202.

Travel Tips

• Purchase tickets in advance of boarding replacement buses.
• Allow extra time for journeys and confirm onward connections.
• Note that bicycles, non-foldable prams, and large luggage cannot be accommodated on replacement buses.

Assistance for Passengers with Accessibility Needs

Special assistance can be booked up to two hours before travel via TfW’s Assisted Travel team at 033 300 50 501. Alternatively, passengers can use the “turn-up-and-go” service.

For Further Information TfW’s Stakeholder Manager for Mid and West Wales, Alexander Bryant-Evans, is available to answer questions regarding the planned works. He can be reached via email at [email protected] or phone at 07398 622223.

These engineering upgrades aim to ensure safer, more reliable rail services for South West Wales, providing passengers with long-term benefits despite the temporary disruptions. TfW appreciates the public’s patience and cooperation during this vital improvement work.

TENBY’S inshore lifeboat was called to action shortly before 1:00pm on Friday (Jan 10) following reports of a couple and their dog stranded by the tide near East Rock House, situated between Castle and Paragon beaches.

The volunteer lifeboat crew launched promptly and located the stranded pair within minutes. However, due to rough sea conditions and swelling waves, it was deemed unsafe to reach them from the water. The lifeboat remained on standby, providing safety cover, while a Coastguard rescue helicopter was requested.

The Tenby Coastguard rescue team quickly arrived on the scene, joined by a lifeboat crew member equipped with a drysuit to navigate the challenging conditions as waves broke perilously close to the stranded individuals. Both the coastguard and the lifeboat crew member carefully crossed the rocks to reach the casualties. They reassured the couple, conducted checks to ensure no medical assistance was required, and moved them to a safer location further up the rocks and away from the breaking waves.

A Coastguard rescue helicopter arrived shortly after. However, strong downwash in the enclosed area posed a risk of falling rocks, making a winch rescue unsafe. With aerial and sea rescue options ruled out, the teams opted for a rope rescue.

The couple and their dog were carefully guided across the rocks to a safer area, where they could access steps leading to the safety of a nearby house’s garden.

Once the rescue was complete and the trio were confirmed out of danger, all units stood down and returned to their respective stations.

A coordinated effort: This successful operation highlights the teamwork between Tenby’s RNLI crew and Coastguard rescue teams, ensuring the safety of the public and their pets in challenging circumstances.

A MIDDLE-AGED farmer has been sentenced at Swansea Crown Court after grooming a teenage girl, coercing her into sending intimate pictures and videos.

David Lewis, 50, met the then 14-year-old girl at a farm in August 2021 and later added her on Facebook. Prosecutor Martha Smith-Higgins told the court: “After a few months of messaging, the defendant sent [the girl] a picture of his penis.”

Lewis from the West Carmarthenshire village of Llanboidy, manipulated the girl into sending explicit images, begging her to comply and telling her: “If you loved me, you would send me photographs.” He also sent her £120 over four separate occasions and told her she could live with him when she turned 16.

Explicit videos exchanged on Snapchat

Ms. Smith-Higgins said Lewis sent “five or six” videos of himself masturbating via Snapchat. When he asked the girl to send similar videos, she initially refused, saying she was about to leave home. However, Lewis checked her Snapchat location, discovered she was not going out, and continued to pressure her until she sent a video.

The girl later attempted to deter Lewis by telling him that the police were tracking her phone. Despite this, Lewis persisted, sending her three sexual photos and two explicit videos of himself.

Discovery and arrest

The girl’s mother became suspicious and checked her daughter’s phone, discovering explicit pictures of Lewis. Police were alerted, and Lewis was arrested on July 22, 2022.

During their investigation, officers found deleted photos of the girl on Lewis’s phone and messages where he told her: “Delete all Snapchats. Have police interview” and “Delete your photos.”

Lewis denied any wrongdoing during his police interview, claiming there had been no communication between him and the girl and that there would be no images of her on his phone. However, officers recovered three Category A images – the most severe classification – and six Category C images of the girl.

Court proceedings

Lewis, pleaded guilty to causing a child to watch a sexual act, sexual communication with a child, and two counts of making indecent images of a child.

Hannah George, representing Lewis, told the court that he had no prior convictions and had not reoffended since the incidents. She argued that a suspended sentence was appropriate, stating: “The probation service has assessed that an immediate custodial sentence would have limited impact, as it would not allow Mr. Lewis to complete the rehabilitation courses he desperately needs.”

Ms. George also cited delays in the case coming to court.

Sentencing

Judge Geraint Walters described Lewis’s actions as calculated and predatory. “The reality is that you were grooming her,” he said. “You are 50 years of age and should know better. You knew what you were doing was wrong.”

Lewis was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years. He was also ordered to complete 35 sessions of an accredited rehabilitation programme and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

He must register as a sex offender for 10 years and is subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the same period. The court also imposed an indefinite restraining order to protect the victim.