LOCAL councillors Alistair Cameron and Alec Cormack have welcomed Pembrokeshire County Council’s unanimous decision to keep Stepaside School open.

Councillors voted earlier today to support a Notice of Motion brought by Cllr Paul Miller, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Education, rescinding the authority’s previous decision of December 12, 2025.

That earlier decision would have started formal consultation on closing Stepaside School and merging it with Saundersfoot School on the existing Saundersfoot school site.

Cllr Alistair Cameron said:

“Stepaside School should never have been considered for closure. Pupil numbers have remained stable since 2022, at between 110 and 115, and the school is expecting another strong intake in September. That demonstrates just how popular and valued the school remains.

“This is also reflected in the findings of Estyn, which described Stepaside as a ‘happy place where pupils feel safe and eager to learn’ and a ‘welcoming, calm and purposeful learning environment’, where pupils make good progress.

“I would like to thank headteacher Mr Jones and all his colleagues for their continued dedication and hard work on behalf of the children in their care.

“I also thank the chair of governors, Laura Burnett, the governing body, parents and the wider Kilgetty and Stepaside community for the determined support they have shown.

“Staff can now concentrate fully on what they do best, providing an excellent education within a caring and nurturing environment.”

Cllr Alec Cormack said: “I am delighted that the council has voted unanimously to keep Stepaside School open.

“This decision provides much-needed certainty for pupils, parents and staff and recognises the important role the school plays at the heart of its community.”

Goldfinches taken from the wild were found distressed, injured and confined in dirty cages at a property in The Glebe

A PEMBROKESHIRE man who illegally trapped and kept wild birds has been banned from owning birds for 15 years and handed a suspended prison sentence.

Colwyn Probert, aged 38, was found keeping goldfinches and other wild birds in cages at a property in The Glebe, Tenby, following concerns raised by a Dyfed-Powys Police rural crime officer.

Probert, of Kingsmoor Caravan Park, Kingsmoor Common, Kilgetty, admitted three offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and one offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Appearing at Llanelli Magistrates’ Court for sentencing on July 2, he was given an eight-week prison sentence, suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to complete 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days, comply with a six-month curfew and pay £400 in costs and a £154 victim surcharge.

All traps, cages and bird rings seized during the investigation will be confiscated.

The RSPCA launched an investigation after police reported concerns that wild birds were being caught in the rear garden of the Tenby property.

RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Ellie West attended with police on October 17 last year and was shown an aviary containing more than a dozen goldfinches and a mule-type bird.

The birds appeared restless and repeatedly moved from perch to perch. A further 14 birds were found confined in small cages inside a roofed room at the side of the house.

Three cage traps were discovered at the property, including one that had previously been positioned near a bird feeder in the garden. Officers also found a bag containing metal bird rings and ring cutters.

The birds were seized and initially taken to a boarding establishment before being transferred to the RSPCA’s Mallydams Wood Wildlife Centre in East Sussex. They were later released back into the wild.

An ornithological expert who examined the birds said several had suffered damage to their beaks after repeatedly flying into the bars of their cages. One bird was also missing its tail.

Many of the finches had distinctive dark-coloured legs, which the expert said were characteristic of birds caught in the wild.

The expert said: “I believe all the goldfinches were caught from the wild.

“While I did not see the original cages, the dirtiness of many of their feathers would point to the cages not having enough room for them to fly onto perches above the faeces at the bottom.”

The district judge said the birds may have been trapped with the intention of selling them.

Addressing Probert, the judge said: “You put wild birds, which should be free and wild, in unsuitable cages, which must have been extremely stressful for them.”

Speaking after the hearing, RSPCA Inspector Keith Hogben said: “These poor birds were treated like commodities.

“They were caged and unable to exhibit normal behaviour, while they were also living in a filthy environment with no clean water provided for them.

“All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and it is illegal to deliberately kill, injure or take one, except under licence.”

THE B4313 Redstone Road has been closed in both directions following a collision near Penblewin Roundabout.

Police confirmed the road was shut shortly after 5.20pm on Thursday (July 16), with no access available from the A40 roundabout.

The closure stretches from Penblewin Roundabout towards the Redstone Road turning.

Traffic Wales said the road was likely to remain closed for some time and warned that delays were possible on the A40.

Dyfed-Powys Police urged motorists to avoid the area and use an alternative route.

The circumstances of the collision and details of any injuries have not yet been confirmed.

This is a developing incident and further updates will be provided when available.