News
Power failure at Heathrow causes chaos for Welsh travellers
London airport shutdown sparks flight disruption, missed connections, and infrastructure review
THE UK’S busiest airport, London Heathrow, was forced to close after a major power failure on Thursday night (Mar 20), causing widespread flight cancellations and severe travel disruption for Welsh passengers and businesses.
A fire at an electrical substation in Hayes, West London, knocked out both primary and backup electricity supplies to the airport, which handles around 1,300 flights per day. The disruption is expected to last for several days, with no confirmed timeline for a full reopening.

Welsh passengers stranded or delayed
While Heathrow is not served directly by flights from Cardiff or other Welsh airports, thousands of Welsh residents rely on the airport for long-haul travel, including business trips, holidays, and family connections.
Passengers from Wales travelling via train or coach to Heathrow faced cancelled flights and diversions across the UK and Europe. Some international flights destined for Heathrow were rerouted to Gatwick, Luton, Manchester, and European airports including Brussels and Paris.
Several travellers from West Wales told The Herald they were left “stranded” at Reading and Paddington after trains were cancelled or redirected. One passenger, travelling from Carmarthen to catch a connecting flight to Canada, said they were now facing a 48-hour delay and an unexpected overnight stay in London.

Airport infrastructure questioned
The fire began at around 11:00pm on Thursday night and quickly spread through a transformer containing 25,000 litres of cooling oil. Firefighters remained at the scene on Friday afternoon, with 10% of the blaze still active.
Heathrow’s backup power systems failed to restore full operations. A spokesperson for the airport said the emergency generators are designed to maintain safety systems only, not to power the entire site.
The failure has prompted serious questions over the resilience of key national infrastructure.
Professor Tim Green, an electrical engineering expert at Imperial College London, said: “It is highly unusual for both primary and backup systems to fail at an airport of this size.”
Disruption to business and freight
The closure has also impacted Welsh businesses that rely on air freight through Heathrow, including medical suppliers and exporters of high-value goods.
Freight forwarding firms based in Deeside, Swansea, and Newport said delays in shipments could affect supply chains for days. Some perishable cargo has already been rerouted through East Midlands Airport and Birmingham.
Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency, estimated that the closure could be costing the travel industry over £20 million a day. “This sort of failure should never happen at a strategic UK transport hub,” he said.
Government and Ofgem announce reviews
UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband confirmed that both the main and reserve power supplies failed. A third transformer is being brought online, but no estimate has been given for when full service will resume.
The energy regulator Ofgem has launched an urgent review. Akshay Kaul, Ofgem’s infrastructure director, said: “We must get to the bottom of this failure and ensure it can’t happen again.”
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that their Counter-Terrorism Command is leading the investigation due to the site’s national infrastructure importance, though there is no evidence of foul play at this stage.
Legal uncertainty for affected passengers
Under UK and EU rules, passengers may be entitled to compensation if an airline is at fault—but not for infrastructure failures like this one.
Most airlines have issued rebooking offers or full refunds, but many passengers are still waiting for alternative flights. Legal experts say disputes over liability between airlines, the airport, and energy providers are likely.
Travellers from Wales with upcoming flights via Heathrow are being urged to check with their airline before travelling and to consider alternative airports.
Crime
Woman stabbed partner in Haverfordwest before handing herself in
A WOMAN who stabbed her partner during a drug-fuelled episode walked straight into Haverfordwest Police Station and told officers what she had done, Swansea Crown Court has heard.
Amy Woolston, 22, of Dartmouth Street in Milford Haven, arrived at the station at around 8:00pm on June 13 and said: “I stabbed my ex-partner earlier… he’s alright and he let me walk off,” prosecutor Tom Scapens told the court.
The pair had taken acid together earlier in the day, and Woolston claimed she believed she could feel “stab marks in her back” before the incident.
Police find victim with four wounds
Officers went to the victim’s home to check on him. He was not there at first, but returned shortly afterwards. He appeared sober and told police: “Just a couple of things,” before pointing to injuries on his back.
He had three stab or puncture wounds to his back and another to his bicep.
The victim said that when he arrived home from the shop, Woolston was acting “a bit shifty”. After asking if she was alright, she grabbed something from the windowsill — described as either a knife or a shard of glass — and stabbed him.
He told officers he had “had worse from her before”, did not support a prosecution, and refused to go to hospital.
Defendant has long history of violence
Woolston pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding. The court heard she had amassed 20 previous convictions from 10 court appearances, including assaults, battery, and offences against emergency workers.
Defending, Dyfed Thomas said Woolston had longstanding mental health problems and had been off medication prescribed for paranoid schizophrenia at the time.
“She’s had a difficult upbringing,” he added, saying she was remorseful and now compliant with treatment.
Woolston was jailed for 12 months, but the court heard she has already served the equivalent time on remand and will be released imminently on a 12-month licence.
News
BBC apologises to Herald’s editor for inaccurate story
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
THE FIRST ship carrying major components for Dragon LNG’s new onshore wind turbines docked at Pembroke Port 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 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 (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 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.
The Weather conditions were favourable for 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 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
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