News

The best air pollution rates in the UK – with Gwynedd and Pembrokeshire in the top ten

Published

4 years ago

March 16, 2021

EVER wondered where has the cleanest air in Britain? holidaycottages.co.uk has analysed* air pollution rates across the UK to reveal the areas with the lowest levels overall, creating an interactive tool revealing the places with the best air pollution rates per region in the UK.

According to the IQ Air report* which was used to conduct the study, the UK has an average air pollution rating of 10.5µg, which is defined as ‘good’.

What’s more, the UK ranks in the top 25% of lowest air pollution rates in the whole world, ranking 21st out of 89 countries for having the cleanest air.

But which part of the UK has the cleanest air? The top ten regions in the UK with the lowest air pollution rates, based on the average ranking of each town, city and village, are:

Midlothian, Scotland (5.1)
Wiltshire, England (5.4)
Berkshire, England (5.8)
Perthshire, Scotland, and Gwynedd, Wales (6.1)
Lanarkshire, Scotland (6.3)
Pembrokeshire, Wales (6.4)
Stirlingshire, Fife, Clackmannan, and City of Dundee, Scotland (6.5)
City of Edinburgh, Scotland (6.6)
Renfrewshire, Scotland (6.7)
Ayrshire, Scotland (6.8)

Midlothian has the honour of being named the area with the cleanest air in Britain, with an average ranking of 5.1µg. Just south of Edinburgh, Midlothian offers a rural escape with plenty of things to see and explore, including the Pentland Hills and Rosslyn Chapel.

In second place is Wiltshire, with the picturesque market town of Marlborough holding an air quality ranking of just 5.4µg. Berkshire comes in third place thanks to the somewhat surprising low air quality rating of Slough, coming in at just 5.8µg – the only large town in England to feature on the list. The rest of the top ten is populated by Scottish and Welsh locations.

Despite this list, it’s important to note that so many other popular areas in the UK such as Anglesey (7.3µg average), Scottish Highlands (8.3µg average), and Cornwall (9.25µg average) all had average rankings within the WHO target at less than 10µg too; it just so happens that air pollution rates are so good in the UK – a promising statistic!

In fact, of the 126 towns, villages and cities analysed in the report, 75 were ranked as meeting the WHO target (59%), and a further 37 (29%) were ranked as good – that’s 88% of towns and cities overall being marked as within target or good.

Commenting on the findings, Shannon Keary, Digital PR Manager at holidaycottages.co.uk, says: “Air pollution and a greener environment continues to be a huge talking point for many people in the UK, and, in this campaign, we wanted to reveal where in the UK has the lowest air pollution. It’s really promising to see that so many of our towns, cities and villages have such clean air, and it’s especially great to see that a huge 88% of the UK has low air pollution rankings that are either within the WHO target or are rated ‘good’.

“We have also created an interactive tool that allows people to find out the areas in their region with the cleanest air in an easily digestible format and then they can compare it with that of their friends and family across the UK.”

To find out where has the cleanest air in your area, please visit: https://www.holidaycottages.co.uk/blog/clean-air-britain-best-air-quality

News

Welsh teenager jailed for creating 3D-printed gun at home

Published

1 hour ago

November 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

A TEENAGER who assembled parts for a viable semi-automatic firearm using a 3D printer has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison.

Owain Roberts, 19, purchased nuts, bolts, steel barrels, and metal rods online, constructing components of an FGC-9 gun with the aid of a 3D printer.

Detectives said that this case marks the first of its kind in Gwent, where Roberts admitted to manufacturing a firearm component. He appeared at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday (Nov 14).

In April, firearms officers executed warrants at two Newport addresses connected to Roberts. Seized items included a 3D printer, two laptops, six plastic reels, and parts for an FGC-9 firearm.

PC Tom Meazey, from Gwent Police’s East Serious Organised Crime team, stated: “Illegally-held firearms can lead to tragic consequences and devastate innocent people’s lives. To own a firearm, including a printable one, is illegal in the UK without a valid firearms certificate. Roberts’s reckless actions in buying items capable of manufacturing a firearm placed people at direct risk.”

This rare and complex investigation involved support from the National Crime Agency (NCA).

Roberts received a prison sentence of four years and nine months.

News

Milford Haven man caught with indecent images of children spared jail

Published

1 hour ago

November 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

A MILFORD HAVEN man, Gareth MacDonald, 23, has been sentenced after pleading guilty to downloading over 1,000 indecent images of children.

MacDonald, of Meyler Crescent, was arrested in March 2023 following a police search of his home. Acting on intelligence, officers seized multiple electronic devices, and MacDonald admitted to downloading the illegal images.

Swansea Crown Court heard that MacDonald accessed material spanning all severity categories, including images depicting the rape of pre-teen children.

He reportedly told police he had “become bored with legal pornography” roughly a year prior to his arrest.

Judge Geraint Walters sentenced MacDonald to eight months in prison, suspended for two years. As part of the sentence, MacDonald must:

Complete 20 rehabilitation activity days
Participate in the Horizon programme
Register as a sex offender for 10 years
Comply with a 10-year sexual harm prevention order

Judge Walters remarked that MacDonald had been accessing illegal content “for some considerable period of time” despite knowing it was wrong.

However, MacDonald, who has health problems, dodged being sent to jail and was able to leave the court a free man.

Crime

Ceredigion man sentenced for selling £150,000 in illegal DVDs

Published

2 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

A CEREDIGION man has been sentenced for selling counterfeit DVDs worth £150,000 under major brand names without authorization.

David Robert Thomas, 47, from Sarnau, ran a sophisticated online operation, producing and selling fake DVDs labeled with brands like Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Sony, and Universal City Studios LLC. Thomas used seven different websites and managed multiple bank and PayPal accounts, including those of family members, to carry out his business.

Councillor Matthew Vaux, Ceredigion County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Protection, said: “Counterfeiting is often thought of as a victimless crime, but it harms the local economy by undermining legitimate businesses that pay taxes and create real jobs. This result sends a clear message that counterfeit sales will not be tolerated, and we will act against offenders.”

Thomas pleaded guilty at Swansea Crown Court on Monday (Nov 11) and was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for 18 months. His sentence includes a four-month curfew and fifteen Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days.

Under the Crime Act 2002, forfeiture proceedings will follow to reclaim the financial benefits from Thomas’s criminal activities. Judge Richards took into account the market value of equivalent genuine goods, the sophisticated setup of Thomas’s business, and his previously clean record in reaching the sentencing decision.

The case was brought forward successfully by Ceredigion County Council’s Trading Standards Service.