REPEATED flooding on The Commons in Pembroke has prompted renewed concern among residents, with local councillor Jonathan Grimes, County Councillor for Pembroke St Mary South & Monkton, seeking clarity from Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC). He has now shared an update following a response from the council’s Coastal, Rivers and Drainage Team.

Cllr Grimes said he had raised the issue after further problems in the area, and the council confirmed that teams are currently stretched due to widespread flooding across the county.

A spokesperson for the team stated: “PCC Highways Maintenance teams are attending a high number of locations across the county, to ensure that trash screens, culverts and highway drainage (plus others) are not blocked and free flowing. The Commons will be on their list to attend and inspect. I appreciate residents are concerned but their situation is not unique at this time, and there is widespread flooding across the county.”

The council confirmed that the barrage tipping gate remains out of action and will not be working until mid-January due to unforeseen issues with its ram. Despite this, a sluice within the barrage is currently open and helping to reduce Castle Pond water levels, although only when the water level in the pond is higher than in the estuary.

The update continued:
“The barrage tipping gate is not operational, and will not be operational until mid-January due to unforeseen issues with the ram. However there is a sluice within the barrage which is open, and is able to assist with lowering the levels of the Castle Pond, when the head of water is greater in the pond, rather than the estuary. Once the tide is high, the flap valve at the outfall of the sluice is unable to open and this prevents tidal water entering the Castle Pond, which is a positive feature.”

Council officers added that current conditions are being made worse by a combination of high tides and ongoing yellow weather warnings for rain and wind, which have contributed to tidal surges.

They also addressed comments from residents questioning why maintenance work had not been completed during the summer.
“There have also been comments that the maintenance work at the barrage (and associated infrastructure) should have been completed in the summer, but we were advised that the school summer holiday season was not an appropriate time to do the work. Castle Pond would have become stagnant, no one would be able to use the pond recreationally, the coastal path would need to be closed in peak season, and this would have negatively impacted on the biodiversity. We were not able to foresee the extremely poor weather we have experienced lately but overall, last winter was mild. December 2024 was the 5th warmest on record, and only Storm Darragh (red weather warning for wind) was noted (Storm Bert didn’t really affect Pembrokeshire when compared to other Local Authorities in Wales).”

The barrage tipping gate is expected to be operational again by mid-January. The coastal path will then be closed for three weeks from 12 January 2026 to allow works to be completed, with new signage to be installed shortly.

Cllr Grimes added that he would continue to keep residents informed as further updates become available.

(Pic: Martin Cavaney/Herald)

Party says momentum growing among local representatives

FOUR independent town councillors in Towyn and Kinmel Bay have announced they are joining Reform UK.

Luke Knightly, Dave Johnson, Debbie Mulvaney and Geoff Corry issued a joint statement saying they were “joining the only party that is putting our left-behind communities first.”

Their move follows the defection of Pontypool community councillor Nick Jones last week, and comes in the constituency represented in the Senedd by Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar.

In a joint statement, the four councillors said: “Towyn and Kinmel Bay, just like so many parts of Wales, have been failed by the political establishment. We’re delighted to be joining the only party that is putting our left-behind communities first.

“Right across Wales, hardworking community representatives are making the same decision and joining Reform. That’s because Reform is the party that will deliver real change for our community and for communities right across Wales.”

A photograph was supplied with the announcement.

Judge says presence of second drug pushed case over custody threshold

A NORTH Pembrokeshire motorist has narrowly avoided an immediate prison sentence after he was caught driving at excessive speeds through Haverfordwest town centre with cannabis, cocaine and benzoylecgonine in his system.

George Cornell, aged twenty-seven and of Golwg y Llan, Eglwyswrw, was stopped by officers shortly after 2:30pm on June 9 as he drove his Peugeot 207 past Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court.

“He was travelling in excess of the speed limit,” Crown prosecutor Sian Vaughan told the court.

Subsequent blood tests showed Cornell had 4.6 mcg of Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol in his system, together with traces of cocaine and its metabolite, benzoylecgonine.

District Judge Mark Layton said the presence of a second drug meant the offence “crossed the custody threshold”.

Cornell pleaded guilty. Representing him, solicitor Tom Lloyd said his client had recently suffered two broken vertebrae, forcing him to abandon his work as a full-time carer.

“He’s gone from someone who worked in the caring industry to someone who now needs care himself,” he said. “He is remorseful and terrified of the prospect of prison.”

Cornell was sentenced to eight weeks’ custody, suspended for twelve months. He was disqualified from driving for thirty months and ordered to pay a £154 surcharge and £85 in court costs.