A HAKIN resident has been ordered to pay £1,330 after repeatedly breaching a community protection notice over loud music, shouting and intimidation.

Tania Evans, aged 47, of James Street, Hakin, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (Apr 23), where guilty pleas were entered to six offences.

The court heard that Evans had been issued with a community protection notice requiring behaviour at the property not to have an unreasonable and detrimental effect on people living nearby.

However, the notice was breached on six separate dates: October 28, December 3, December 9, December 23, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve.

The breaches involved excessive and persistent loud music, abusive or excessive shouting, and the use of intimidation by Evans or visitors to the property.

One of the later breaches stated that Evans failed to ensure that people at the property did not act in a way likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress through amplified music, shouting or intimidation in the local area.

Magistrates fined Evans £162 for each of the first three offences. No separate penalty was imposed for the remaining three matters, but the guilty pleas were taken into account.

Evans was also ordered to pay a £194 victim surcharge and £650 costs, bringing the total to £1,330.

A collection order was made, with the court noting that deductions from benefits could be used if necessary.

The full amount must be paid by May 20.

THREE members of staff at FUW Insurance Services have been shortlisted for the prestigious Women in Insurance Awards 2026.

Among them is Pembrokeshire’s Nia Evans, who has been named as a finalist in the Young Insurance Woman of the Year category for small to medium firms.

The awards celebrate the achievements of women across the insurance industry, recognising excellence at all levels and highlighting organisations working to improve diversity and inclusion.

Winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on October 13, 2026.

Nia joined FUW Insurance Services in August 2022 as an account handler and has since gained experience across several portfolios, including Gwent, Glamorgan and Pembrokeshire.

She has completed her Cert CII qualification and was selected as part of the first cohort at the FUW Insurance Services Academy in 2025.

Her nomination recognises her strong professional development, growing expertise and early impact within the business.

Meleri James has also been shortlisted for Claims Professional of the Year. She joined FUW Insurance Services in 2021 as an insurance claims handler before becoming Deputy Claims Manager in 2023.

A Dip CII Level 4 qualified professional, she was appointed Claims Manager in autumn 2025.

Karen Royles has been shortlisted for Insurance Woman of the Year in the small to medium firms category.

She joined the company in November 2015 on a six-month maternity cover contract and has since progressed through roles including Administration Manager and Group Operations Manager.

In 2025, she became the company’s first female director when she was appointed Operations Director.

FUW Insurance Services Ltd Chair, Ann Beynon OBE said: “On behalf of everyone at FUW Insurance Services, we’re thrilled that Nia, Meleri, and Karen have been recognised in the prestigious Women in Insurance Awards.

“Their nominations reflect not only their talent and hard work, but also the progress we’ve made as a business in supporting and developing our female staff within the business.

“The awards are an important way to celebrate the achievements of women in our industry and to promote diversity and inclusion.

“We are proud to support that, and even prouder to see our colleagues being recognised in this way. We wish them the very best of luck.”

NOT one of Labour’s seven list candidates for the Ceredigion Penfro seat turned up for farming hustings in either Pembrokeshire or Ceredigion.

Local branches of the Farmers’ Union of Wales, NFU Cymru, and the Young Farmers’ Clubs hosted hustings in Aberaeron on April 14 and Haverfordwest on April 21. Labour has seven candidates standing on its list for the new constituency. They did not send a representative to either event.

Farming has been a central issue in the lead-up to the 2026 Senedd election in Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. Candidates are facing intense scrutiny over policy, funding, and regulation.

It is likely that one of Labour’s candidates will find time to send a representative to a Green Community & Climate hustings. This event is organised by Friends of the Earth in Narberth this evening, Friday, April 24.

Agriculture and linked businesses are significant contributors to the local economy, especially in rural areas. Over the last Senedd term, Labour in Wales did very little to endear itself to farming communities. There has been widespread criticism of its alleged lack of interest in, or care for, rural Wales and the rural Welsh economy. Labour’s cause was not helped by the Labour Westminster government’s handling of inheritance tax and rural enterprise taxation issues.

The Westminster Government made a partial climbdown over the taxation changes. Despite the efforts of Labour’s Rural Affairs Minister Huw Irranca Davies to rebuild bridges with the farming community, farming and rural policy remain a weakness for Labour in Wales. Mr Irranca Davies’ task was not eased by the fact that his predecessor, Lesley Griffiths, had demolished those bridges.

There is considerable resentment across rural Wales about Labour’s perceived neglect. Polls suggest the Party will struggle in North and West Wales.

“GUTLESS” LABOUR “NOT BOTHERED” ABOUT RURAL WALES

Conservative candidate for Ceredigion Penfro, Samuel Kurtz, told The Herald: “It was a privilege to take part in these important hustings and to hear directly from farmers and young people about the challenges and opportunities facing our rural communities.

“As a Senedd Member, I have always stood on the side of farmers, and I am proud of that record. Farming is the silver thread running through our communities, economically, culturally and socially, and it must be protected and supported. That is something I understand not just politically but personally, as a farmer’s son.

“If re-elected, I look forward to continuing to champion Welsh agriculture and ensuring that our farmers have a friend they can depend on.

“It was, however, deeply disappointing that Labour could not be bothered to attend either the Ceredigion or Pembrokeshire farm hustings. That absence speaks volumes and demonstrates a clear disregard for rural Wales and the people whose livelihoods depend on agriculture.”

Liberal Democrat candidate Alistair Camerson said: “It was a good, lively debate. We covered many of the stresses our farmers and rural communities are facing. These include rising prices, government regulations, problems with the Sustainable Farming Scheme, and the mental health challenges facing farmers and those in the countryside.

“Labour should have been present to listen to the farmers and understand the real and devastating impact Welsh Government policies are having on our farming communities.”

A Reform UK spokesperson said: “Labour’s assault on our farming communities has been relentless.

“It’s little wonder Labour candidates don’t have the guts to face our farmers, given the party’s record.

“Reform will back our farmers, because they are the best in the world at what they do.”

Plaid Cymru’s lead candidate in Ceredigion Penfro, Elin Jones, told us: “In this area, farming hustings are an important event in the election calendar. Farmers are always keen to understand the details of manifesto promises and to hold politicians to account.

“It didn’t go down well that Labour failed to show twice. To miss one could be seen as careless, to miss two is an insult to the importance of farming to Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.”

RENEWABLES DRIVE CAUSES LABOUR RURAL GRIEF

This week, the issue of renewable energy infrastructure being built on farmland came to a head.

Farmers across the Tywi and Teifi Valleys have complained about what they perceive as high-handed treatment by energy companies. They say employees of an energy company have entered their land without notice or consent, including farms subject to bTB restrictions. Large areas of the Pembrokeshire coast are set for significant windfarm developments.

The erection of pylons across Wales’s rural heartlands is a direct consequence of the Welsh and UK governments’ drive to meet their renewable energy generation and supply targets. The policy is putting further pressure on Labour’s vote share across Mid and West Wales. Labour in Wales’s stated position is to prefer underground cabling for new energy infrastructure projects where feasible.

Labour also says that while it supports undergrounding, the cost comparison with traditional pylons must be considered, and that energy companies should not be compelled to build all infrastructure underground on cost grounds. This policy position has not addressed the concerns of many farmers or some environmental and countryside campaigners, who are seeking a firmer commitment.

In a BBC explainer regarding the issue released earlier this week, the only vox pop in favour of pylons and turbines being placed in rural Wales came from a voter in Cardiff.

At the time of writing, a case is ongoing in the High Court in Cardiff. It aims to prevent energy company employees from entering farm properties without permission to conduct surveys for planned infrastructure. The energy companies claim they have the legal right to do so. However, in Westminster this week, the Energy Minister Michael Shanks confirmed that holding an Independent Distribution Network Operator licence does not automatically grant access to private land.