Local Government

‘We’re treated like schoolkids’: Bin workers lift lid on chaos at Pembrokeshire Council

Published

9 months ago

September 10, 2025

Staff shortages, overloaded routes and low morale blamed for recycling crisis

A PEMBROKESHIRE bin worker has spoken exclusively to The Herald, describing “a shambles” inside the county’s waste service as missed recycling collections mount across Milford Haven, Hakin and beyond. His account has since been independently verified by another member of staff who contacted us by phone, confirming the same issues across the service.

The revelations come after widespread disruption at the end of last month (Aug 29) left streets across Milford without collections for the second or third week running. Pembrokeshire County Council has cited “operational issues” including vehicle breakdowns and staff shortages, and urged households to keep recycling bags out until Monday (Sept 1) when crews “aim to recollect.”

***Uncollected waste: Bags and boxes have been left on the roadside as crews struggle to keep up (Image: PCC)***

Inside the routes

Frontline staff told The Herald that crews are being forced to take on far more properties each day than intended.

One worker said: “Routes were designed for 750 to 800 houses. Some of us are now covering 1,200 plus, then being told to help mop up other routes on top. We’ve been told since Christmas 2023 that routes would be restructured, but nothing has changed — and more new estates have been built in that time.”

They described the physical toll of filling lorries to capacity and the demoralisation of being pushed to do more: “It’s head down all day, necks and shoulders taking a hammering. When we finish our route we’re told to go back out and do more. Holidays are refused, and lads need long weekends just to recover. Morale is on the floor.”

Management criticised

Workers were scathing about the current leadership of the service.

One said: “During the pandemic we worked through with a different management team and there were no major issues. Now it’s army-style management. There’s no interaction. Our head of service, Craig Meachem, we’ve barely seen him in two years. We raised grievances, he came to one meeting out of six. It’s do as I say and that’s it.”

The same worker claimed: “He said at a scrutiny meeting he rolled his sleeves up and helped. That happened once, for two hours. Our old manager would be in at 6:00am with us, driving routes and loading when needed. Nothing like that now.”

Vehicles and welfare

***Mounting pressure: Crews say they are at breaking point*** ***(Pic: PCC)***

While council leaders blame vehicle breakdowns, staff said that was only part of the story.

“There are days we’ve had five lorries ready but no crews to man them. They’ve even tried to send out a truck with just a driver. We refused — they promise help but it never turns up.”

Working conditions were also described as inadequate.

“In hot weather there’s no water supplied — we rely on residents giving us a drink. In wet weather we sweat inside our gear, then there’s one small drying cabin for 20 people, one shower for 100 staff. Most of us sit in the lorries with heaters on. Other councils let supervisors make welfare decisions. Here they’re reprimanded. We’re even locked in the compound until a supervisor lets us out, like schoolkids.”

Mental health strain

Staff say morale is collapsing under the strain, with sickness becoming a vicious circle.

“We are being totally demoralised. The only option for many is to go sick, which just makes things worse for those left. We tried to communicate, but management stopped listening.”

They also highlighted abuse from the public: “We’ve been assaulted, sworn at, had things thrown at us. Management wonders why there’s a mental health problem.”

Recruitment and turnover

According to workers, staff churn is worsening the crisis.

“They’ve taken on about 50 people in the last year, most lasting two days. One lasted one day and couldn’t even tie their bootlaces. It just puts more pressure on the rest of the crew.”

Streets missed

Over the last ten days, locals responding to The Herald’s call for information listed more than 30 streets where collections were missed, including Coombs Drive, Picton Road, Pill Road, Vicary Crescent, Dairy Park Grove, St David’s Close, Observatory Avenue, Silverstream Drive, Murray Road, Yorke Street, Hubberston Court, Wentworth Close, Hilton Avenue, Waterloo Road, Court Rise, Nubian Crescent and Mills Drive in Neyland.

Council response

Pembrokeshire County Council issued a statement to The Herald in response to the allegations. A spokesperson said:

“With the assistance of the public, Pembrokeshire County Council has consistently been among the top recycling authorities in Wales over recent years and together we can continue to improve recycling rates. We recognise there have been instances of missed collections over recent weeks, and we wish to apologise to the public for the disruption and thank them for their patience and support.

“We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our Waste and Recycling crews who are working extremely hard and doing their best every day to provide a safe and effective collection service while minimising disruption.”

The council added that:

Routes are “planned to consider vehicle size, crewing, population density and depot locations” and were designed with support from WRAP Cymru. It said it “does not consider routes to be overloaded” but confirmed that further reviews are planned.
In the last 12 months, 15 staff have left and 15 have been recruited, with all vacancies currently filled.
Staff welfare is supported through HR policies, engagement events, a dedicated HR officer for mental health, and new welfare facilities at the Eco Park depot.
The council said it updates its dedicated webpage with information when collections are disrupted, and aims to return within 48 working hours.
Disruptions, they added, represent “less than 1% of the five million collections” carried out each year.

The council also pointed to “financial challenges” facing the authority and said the summer tourist season had added to pressure on frontline services.

The statement concluded: “We would like to thank the communities of Pembrokeshire for their patience and continued support.”

Education

Lillian’s colourful logo chosen as Active Travel winner

Published

2 hours ago

June 19, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A PEMBROKESHIRE pupil is celebrating after her design was chosen as the county’s new Active Travel logo.

Lillian Richards, a Year 6 pupil at Cleddau Reach Primary School, was named the overall winner of a Road Safety and Transport competition which invited pupils across Pembrokeshire to create a fresh logo for Active Travel.

Her design will now be used on Pembrokeshire County Council’s website and social media platforms.

Lillian’s entry was selected from a strong field of submissions, standing out for its bright, colourful style and for capturing a range of Active Travel options.

The winning design was later developed into a final logo by the council’s graphics team, with Tom Banner refining it into a professional format.

Lillian was presented with a certificate and prize at her school by Road Safety Officer Sally Jones.

Speaking after the presentation, Lillian said she was “extremely pleased” to have won and was impressed with how her design had been transformed.

Sally Jones praised Lillian and the wider field of entrants.

She said: “The standard of entries for this competition was incredible. We have some very talented pupils across Pembrokeshire.

“Lillian’s design was thoughtful, hit the brief and was eye-catching. She should be very proud of her work and we are excited to start using the logo moving forward.”

Caption:

Competition winner: Lillian Richards is pictured with council Road Safety Officer Sally Jones.

Local Government

New councillor appointed to Haverfordwest Town Council

Published

3 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Tom Sinclair

LUCY HINKSMAN has been officially appointed to Haverfordwest Town Council as the newest representative for Castle Ward.

Cllr Hinksman was welcomed to the council this evening by fellow members, including Cllr Josh Odlin, Deputy Mayor Cllr Adam Benson-Davies, and the Sheriff of Haverfordwest, Cllr Dani Thomas-Turner.

She brings experience from her work with People First and is known locally for her advocacy on inclusion, equality, and ensuring people’s voices are heard.

Cllr Randell Izaiah Thomas-Turner welcomed the appointment, saying Lucy’s commitment to supporting people and strengthening the community would make her a strong asset to both Castle Ward and Haverfordwest.

He said he looked forward to working with her as the council continues its work for the town.

Local Government

Pembrokeshire faces accessible housing shortage as 403 people wait for homes

Published

6 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Council admits demand exceeds supply as housing issues contribute to hospital discharge delays

PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL has acknowledged that there is not enough suitable accessible housing in the county to meet demand, with more than 400 people currently waiting for accommodation that meets their needs.

The admission came in response to questions from The Pembrokeshire Herald about housing, health and accessibility in Pembrokeshire.

The council revealed that 403 people are currently registered on the Pembrokeshire Accessible Housing Register waiting for accessible social housing.

Of those, 81% are in the highest-priority gold band, while 62% require one-bedroom accessible accommodation.

The authority also disclosed that 111 cases are currently awaiting occupational therapy assessment through to approval of assessed works under Disabled Facilities Grants and discretionary disabled assistance grants.

The figures highlight growing pressure on housing services in a county with an ageing population and increasing demand for homes that can accommodate people with disabilities, mobility problems and long-term health conditions.

A council spokesperson said: “Within Pembrokeshire, we recognise that there are challenges around unsuitable housing, often linked with an ageing housing stock across all tenures of accommodation.

“We recognise that poor and inaccessible housing can be a contributing factor to ill health and increased demand on housing, health and social care services.”

Hospital discharge concerns

The council also confirmed that housing-related issues can affect hospital discharge planning.

Officials said there had been an increase in housing-related discharge delays in recent years, often because people leaving hospital require home adaptations or alternative accommodation that better suits their needs following changes in their health or mobility.

The spokesperson said: “There are concerns related to housing-related delays which impact hospital discharge planning locally.

“There has been an increase in housing related delays due to a range of factors, including the need for suitable accommodation following changes in an individual’s health or functioning, which subsequently can lead to a need for home adaptations, or alternative accessible accommodation sourced.”

The council stressed that housing-related factors still represent a relatively small proportion of overall discharge delays in Pembrokeshire.

Shortage recognised

Asked whether enough suitable housing exists locally for older residents and people with disabilities or long-term health conditions, the council accepted that current provision falls short of demand.

The spokesperson said: “Given the numbers we have on our Accessible Housing Register as well as the ageing population in the county, we acknowledge that there is insufficient suitable accessible housing to currently meet demand.”

The authority said the issue has already been identified within the Local Housing Market Assessment 2023 and the Pembrokeshire Housing Strategy 2024-2027.

Working to improve provision

The council said its Occupational Therapy Service works closely with housing providers across Pembrokeshire to assess needs and support the delivery of appropriate housing solutions, including adaptations to existing homes and the development of adapted properties.

For social housing tenants requiring adaptations, needs are assessed by occupational therapists, with work either carried out by landlords or, where necessary, alternative accommodation sought.

The authority also said that new social housing developments are designed to meet Lifetime Homes standards under Welsh Government housing requirements.

Housing and social care teams work together to help shape the type and design of new homes being developed in the county, using information from the Accessible Housing Register to identify future demand.

The comments come amid growing national concern over the impact of unsuitable housing on health, independence and demand for public services, particularly as Wales’ population continues to age.

This is a cleaner local government/housing story that stands on its own and avoids repeating the earlier Welsh Government/NHS-focused piece.