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Bristol Clean Air Zone increases holiday costs

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TRAVELLERS jetting off for holidays from Bristol Airport face an unexpected extra charge for getting there.

On November 28, Bristol Council will introduce a Clean Air Zone and charge drivers who enter the Zone.

The Council says, “the Zone will help improve air quality by reducing harmful levels of air pollution caused by traffic. It will also help ensure Bristol benefits from a healthy and natural environment.”

However, the extra charge will hit travellers heading to Bristol Airport from Wales.

The most popular route to Bristol Airport for travellers from Wales and north of Bristol takes drivers through Shirehampton and along the A4 (Portway) Road. A stretch of the road to the Airport is within the Clean Air Zone, meaning drivers heading there for their holiday flights will get charged £9 each way.

In 2019, the last year before the Covid pandemic, the Airport carried just under 9m passengers on 70,000 flights.

Bristol City Council confirmed: “The most direct routes from the M32 and the M5 Southbound to Bristol Airport will take vehicles through the Clean Air Zone. The Zone will have advanced signage on the highway network.

“We are working with Bristol Airport to help make people aware of the Zone to plan their journeys in advance and consider public transport options.”

WEST WALES TRAVELLERS FACE LONG TREK

That’s not much help to travellers from West Wales.

Suppose a family of two adults and children aged six and nine plan to travel on December 1, and their holiday flight leaves at 6:00am. They would have to leave Haverfordwest on an overnight train leaving at 7:30pm the previous evening. They would change at Cardiff, again at Bristol Temple Meads to catch the Airport shuttle, and arrive at the Airport at around half-past midnight.

The total cost of a return journey, assuming their return flight landed in the early afternoon on December 8, would be £329.40 with four changes on the return leg and a replacement bus service for part of the journey from Cardiff, arriving back in Haverfordwest at 10:20 at night.

Even the cheapest possible fare, restricting travel times to off-peak periods, is £207.

On top of that cost, you can add the hassle of corralling tired children in the middle of the night, shifting luggage while changing trains, and hanging around the Airport waiting for a flight out and transport back to Bristol Temple Meads after hopefully clearing customs in good time.

Travelling by bus is cheaper – £140 – but arriving at Bristol Airport in the early morning hours will take over nine hours and involve five changes, or a direct bus means you’d end up spending a night in an Airport hotel after a seven-hour journey.

The cheapest accommodation on November 30 for a family of four near Bristol Airport is £100.

AIRPORT KEEN TO TELL TRAVELLERS

Bristol Airport told us they were “keen” for the story to be covered, especially as it affects travellers from Wales.

A spokesperson for Bristol Airport told The Herald: “Bristol Airport urges passengers travelling by car to check on Bristol City Council’s website whether their vehicle will be charged and to plan their route in advance. Our own website will be updated shortly with new travel advice.

“As an alternative to driving, National Express runs a regular and direct service from Cardiff and Newport to the Airport.”

Crime

Man charged with strangulation and assault offences after October incident

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A MAN recorded in court as having no fixed abode has appeared before magistrates charged with intentional strangulation and two further assault offences.

Michael Sudbury, 50, whose address was not read out in court, but in Herald records is Glan Hafan, Llangwm, appeared before the bench facing multiple charges.

The charges relate to an incident on 22 October 2025 and include:

  • Intentional strangulation, contrary to section 75A of the Serious Crime Act 2015
  • Common assault
  • Assault by beating

No further details of the alleged incident were opened in court, and no plea was entered at this stage.

Sudbury was remanded on conditional bail, with the case listed to return to magistrates later this month.

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Crime

Haverfordwest man sent to Crown Court on multiple serious charges

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Defendant remanded in custody

A HAVERFORDWEST man has been sent to Swansea Crown Court to stand trial on a series of A 49-year-old Haverfordwest resident has been committed to Swansea Crown Court to face trial on multiple serious charges deemed too grave for magistrates to handle.

David Guy, of Market Street, Haverfordwest, appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates facing a series of allegations stemming from a single case. The charges, which were not detailed in open court, include:

  • Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
  • A second count of assault
  • Criminal damage
  • An additional allegation of interpersonal violence
  • A public order offence

Magistrates declined jurisdiction, determining that the matters exceeded their sentencing powers, and sent the case in its entirety to Swansea Crown Court.

Guy was remanded in custody pending his next appearance. The court register notes: “Sent to Crown Court for trial in custody – next hearing at Swansea Crown Court.”

A date for the initial Crown Court hearing will be set administratively. Guy will remain in custody until then.

The Pembrokeshire Herald will provide further updates as the case progresses in the Crown Court.

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Crime

Castlemartin man back before magistrates over multiple alleged assaults

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Defendant remanded on conditional bail ahead of further hearing

A CASTLEMARTIN man has appeared repeatedly before magistrates this month over a string A 40-year-old man from Castlemartin has made repeated appearances before magistrates this month in connection with a series of serious alleged offences, including assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), intentional non-fatal strangulation, common assault, and criminal damage.

Anthony Alcock, of Pwll Street, Castlemartin, is facing six linked charges stemming from incidents said to have occurred earlier this year. These appear to relate to the same complainant in what is understood to be a single ongoing domestic abuse prosecution.

During recent administrative hearings at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court, Alcock did not enter pleas while matters of bail and case management were addressed.

Charges Include:

  • Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
  • Intentional non-fatal strangulation
  • Common assault on a woman
  • Criminal damage in a domestic context
  • Additional assault allegations involving the same complainant
  • Breach of bail conditions

Alcock was initially granted conditional bail but was subsequently brought before the court on two occasions for alleged breaches. On those instances, magistrates remanded him in custody ahead of further hearings. He was later re-granted conditional bail, subject to strict conditions such as no contact with the complainant and exclusion from specified locations.

Magistrates have now declined jurisdiction, ruling that the case—particularly the more serious charges involving non-fatal strangulation—is too grave for summary trial. It has been committed to Swansea Crown Court for plea, trial, or sentencing.

No detailed evidence has been presented in open court at this preliminary stage. Alcock remains on conditional bail pending his next appearance at the Crown Court.

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