News

New Roman fort discovery hints at full integration of Wales into Roman Britain

Published

1 year ago

August 2, 2024

A PREVIOUSLY unknown Roman fort has been discovered in an overgrown field in north Pembrokeshire, suggesting a more militant history for west Wales and indicating that the region was fully integrated into Roman Britain.

The discovery was made by Dr Mark Merrony, a leading Roman specialist and tutor at Wolfson College, Oxford, while he was out on a bike ride. The exact location of the fort is being kept secret to protect the site from potential looters.

Dr Merrony began examining the site for Roman material to confirm his initial suspicions. “I wanted to find a particular roofing slate type, which tends to be hexagonal, with a long point,” he said. “Sticking out of the ground was a triangular piece that looked like a Roman roofing slate. I pulled it up and lo and behold, it’s an archetypal Roman roofing slate, an absolute peach. Flip it upside down and you can see underneath a diagonal line where it was grooved to fit into the one that was underneath it. It’s a real beauty.”

Estimated to be two to three hectares in size, the site would have housed around 500 soldiers during its prime. This finding supports the notion that Wales was completely integrated into Roman Britain, contradicting previous beliefs that only two forts existed in west Wales.

“There are more villas than we think and there are more forts than we think here in west Wales,” Dr Merrony stated. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there were at least another two, three, or even more forts that we just haven’t found yet. West Wales has been neglected, partly because there aren’t the resources to cover it. So the more archaeologists start looking, the more we can start to find.”

Dr Merrony believes the fort dates back to between the first and third centuries, a period when the Celtic Demetae tribe inhabited south-west Wales. This new find challenges the perception that the Demetae peacefully coexisted with Roman invaders. “The tribe, who were thought to have peacefully coexisted with the Roman invaders, weren’t probably as peaceful as we think they were,” Dr Merrony explained.

The fort’s form and scale are similar to Pembrokeshire’s only other known Roman fort, which was excavated at Wiston near Haverfordwest in 2013. Both forts are now believed to be linked to a previously unknown Roman road network.

Despite some local criticism and fears that treasure hunters might be attracted to the site, Dr Merrony reassured the community by stating, “I haven’t said where it is. They’re assuming it’s somewhere that it’s not. They might find some rusty nails for the roofing slates. This is a pretty hardcore military site.”

The fort is being hailed as a site of national importance, but its location will not be disclosed to the public until a geophysical survey is carried out to validate the discovery. This will be followed by potential excavation to further explore the site.

This significant discovery not only enhances our understanding of Roman military presence in Wales but also underscores the importance of continued archaeological exploration in uncovering the rich history of the region.

News

BBC apologises to Herald’s editor for inaccurate story

Published

50 minutes ago

December 4, 2025

Staff Writer

THE BBC has issued a formal apology and amended a six-year-old article written by BBC Wales Business Correspondent Huw Thomas after its Executive Complaints Unit ruled that the original headline and wording gave an “incorrect impression” that Herald editor Tom Sinclair was personally liable for tens of thousands of pounds in debt.

The 2019 report, originally headlined “Herald newspaper editor Tom Sinclair has £70,000 debts”, has now been changed.

The ECU found: “The wording of the article and its headline could have led readers to form the incorrect impression that the debt was Mr Sinclair’s personal responsibility… In that respect the article failed to meet the BBC’s standards of due accuracy.”

Mr Sinclair said: “I’m grateful to the ECU for the apology and for correcting the personal-liability impression that caused real harm for six years. However, the article still links the debts to ‘the group which publishes The Herald’ when in fact they related to printing companies that were dissolved two years before the Herald was founded in 2013. I have asked the BBC to add that final clarification so the record is completely accurate.”

A formal apology and correction of this kind from the BBC is extremely rare, especially for a story more than six years old.

Business

First wind turbine components arrive as LNG project moves ahead

Published

4 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE FIRST ship carrying major components for Dragon LNG’s new onshore wind turbines
docked at Pembroke Port yesterday afternoon last week, marking the start of physical
deliveries for the multi-million-pound renewable energy project.

The Maltese-registered general cargo vessel Peak Bergen berthed at Pembroke Dock on
shortly after 4pm on Wednesday 26th November, bringing tower sections and other heavy
components for the three Enercon turbines that will eventually stand on land adjacent to the
existing gas terminal at Waterston.

A second vessel, the Irish-flagged Wilson Flex IV, has arrived in Pembroke Port today is
due to arrive in the early hours of this morning (Thursday) carrying the giant rotor blades.
The deliveries follow a successful trial convoy on 25 November, when police-escorted low-
loader trailers carried dummy loads along the planned route from the port through
Pembroke, past Waterloo roundabout and up the A477 to the Dragon LNG site.

Dragon LNG’s Community and Social Performance Officer, Lynette Round, confirmed the
latest movements in emails to the Herald.

“The Peak Bergen arrived last week yesterday with the first components,” she said. “We are
expecting another delivery tomorrow (Thursday) onboard the Wilson Flex IV. This will be
blades and is currently showing an ETA of approximately 03:30.”

The £14.3 million project, approved by Welsh Ministers last year, will see three turbines with
a combined capacity of up to 13.5 MW erected on company-owned land next to the LNG
terminal. Once operational – expected in late 2026 – they will generate enough electricity to
power the entire site, significantly reducing its carbon footprint.

Port of Milford Haven shipping movements showed the Peak Bergen approaching the Haven
throughout Wednesday morning before finally tying up at the cargo berth in Pembroke Dock.

Cranes began unloading operations yesterday evening.

The Weather conditions are currently were favourable for this morning’s the arrival of
the Wilson Flex IV, which was tracking south of the Smalls at midnight.

The abnormal-load convoys carrying the components from the port to Waterston are
expected to begin early next year, subject to final police and highway approvals.

A community benefit fund linked to the project will provide training opportunities and energy-
bill support for residents in nearby Waterston, Llanstadwell and Neyland.
Further updates will be issued by Dragon LNG as the Port of Milford Haven as the delivery
programme continues.

Photo: Martin Cavaney

Crime

Banned for 40 months after driving with cocaine breakdown product in blood

Published

4 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Sarah-Jane Absalom

A MILFORD HAVEN woman has been handed a lengthy driving ban after admitting driving with a controlled drug in her system more than ten times over the legal limit.

SENTENCED AT HAVERFORDWEST

Sally Allen, 43, of Wentworth Close, Hubberston, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (Dec 4) for sentencing, having pleaded guilty on November 25 to driving with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the prescribed limit.

The court heard that Allen was stopped on August 25 on the Old Hakin Road at Tiers Cross while driving an Audi A3. Blood analysis showed 509µg/l of Benzoylecgonine, a breakdown product of cocaine. The legal limit is 50µg/l.

COMMUNITY ORDER AND REHABILITATION

Magistrates imposed a 40-month driving ban, backdated to her interim disqualification which began on November 25.

Allen was also handed a 12-month community order, requiring her to complete 10 days of rehabilitation activities as directed by the Probation Service.

She was fined £120, ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £114 surcharge. Her financial penalties will be paid in £25 monthly instalments from January 1, 2026.

The bench—Mrs H Roberts, Mr M Shankland and Mrs J Morris—said her guilty plea had been taken into account when passing sentence.