News

Welsh energy bill misery. We pay far more for energy than homes in England

Published

3 years ago

February 16, 2022

WALES has the highest energy bills in the whole of the UK, with households spending an average of £800 a year on their bills – £60 more than the UK average (£757)

Of the UK’s top ten local authorities with the highest energy bills, four – Ceredigion, Gwynedd, Carmarthenshire, and Powys – are in Wales. Pembrokeshire, a centre for the import of energy to the UK, is not far behind.

London is the UK region with the cheapest energy bills (£606 a year) and Tower Hamlets in London is the local authority with the cheapest energy bills

Wales has the highest energy bills in the whole of the UK, new research can reveal.

Households in Wales spend an average of £800 a year on their bills – £60 more than the average UK bill (£757), and nearly £200 more than London, the UK region with the cheapest energy bills.

The research used new ONS data to analyse the energy bills in every region and local authority in England and Wales, to discover which area had the highest energy bills, and would be worst affected by the 54% increase in energy bills in April.

Data shows that of the top ten UK local authorities with the highest energy costs, four are in Wales.

Ceredigion has the highest energy bills in Wales and the second highest in the UK, with residents paying £1092 a year on their energy bills – £335 more than the average UK bill, and £669 more than Tower Hamlets, the UK area with the lowest energy bills.

Gwynedd has the second most expensive energy bills in Wales, and the fourth highest in the UK. In Gwynedd, households pay £1016 a year for their energy bills – £259 more than the UK average and nearly £600 more than Tower Hamlets.

Carmarthenshire also has some of the highest energy bills in Wales and comes fifth in the UK for expensive energy. Households in Carmarthenshire spend £958 on their energy bills – £201 more than the UK average and £593 more than Tower Hamlets. In Powys, households spend £953 on their energy bills which is £196 more than the average UK bill, and £530 more than Tower Hamlets.

Crime

Pembroke Dock resident faces court over dog control breaches

Published

2 hours ago

November 13, 2024

Court Reporter

PHILIP Murray, 52, of 11 Picton Place, Pembroke Dock, will appear at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (Nov 14) to face several charges of breaching a community protection notice. The notice, issued under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, required Murray to control his dogs in response to repeated disturbances.

The charges relate to incidents from May to September 2024, when Murray allegedly failed to comply with the restrictions set out in a notice issued on January 3, 2024. Court documents state that despite multiple warnings, Murray continued to disregard the order, leading to ongoing issues linked to his dogs’ behaviour.

If found guilty, Murray could face a Level 4 fine for each offence. The hearing is scheduled to take place from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm in Courtroom 1, presided over by the Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire Adult Panel.

The case underscores the role of community protection notices in addressing persistent anti-social behavior.

Crime

Cilgerran driver banned for drug use on Cardigan high street

Published

3 hours ago

November 13, 2024

Court Reporter

A CILGERRAN motorist appeared before a district judge after driving on Cardigan High Street under the influence of cannabis.

On May 3, police officers on patrol detected a strong smell of cannabis from a Volkswagen Golf driven by Kim Haynes, 40.

A drugs wipe returned a positive result, with subsequent tests showing Haynes had 3.4 mcg of Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol in her blood, above the legal limit of 2.

Haynes, of Sun Cottage, Church Street, Cilgerran, pleaded guilty to driving over the specified drug-drive limit. She was fined and ordered to pay a total of £365, including costs and a court surcharge, and was disqualified from driving for 12 months.

Crime

Motorist disqualified after cannabis-fuelled traffic collision

Published

3 hours ago

November 13, 2024

Court Reporter

A 21-YEAR-OLD driver has been disqualified after a traffic pile-up on the A40 following cannabis use.

Officers attended Arnold’s Hill, Slebech, on March 29 in response to a multi-vehicle collision involving Kayleigh Taylor, 21, whose Toyota Aygo was on the opposite carriageway.

“There was a smell of cannabis coming from the vehicle, so a drugs wipe was conducted, which returned a positive result,” said Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan. Further tests showed Taylor had 7.7 mcg of Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol in her blood, above the legal limit of 2.

Taylor, of Princess Royal Way, Haverfordwest, admitted to driving over the specified drug-drive limit and possessing 266.1 grams of cannabis found in her vehicle.

District Judge Mark Layton sentenced her to a 12-month community order with 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days. She was disqualified from driving for 17 months, fined £80, and ordered to pay a £114 court surcharge and £85 costs.