Last major component reaches site as Dragon LNG and Dragon Energy thank communities for patience

DRAGON LNG and Dragon Energy have confirmed that the final large component for a new wind turbine project has now been successfully delivered, bringing months of complex abnormal load movements on Pembrokeshire roads to an end.

The companies said the final turbine blade was delivered to the site on Wednesday (Jan 28, 2026), marking the completion of all major component deliveries associated with the project.

In a statement, Dragon LNG and Dragon Energy thanked the local community for its patience and cooperation throughout the delivery programme, acknowledging that the operation caused disruption on local roads.

Residents across parts of the county have previously experienced temporary road closures, traffic delays and police escorts as oversized turbine components were transported from the Port of Milford Haven to the site under tightly controlled conditions.

The abnormal load movements required months of detailed planning and coordination, involving route surveys, traffic management, police support and liaison with local authorities to ensure deliveries were carried out safely and with minimal disruption wherever possible.

The companies also apologised for the inconvenience caused during the delivery phase, saying the support and understanding shown by residents had been “invaluable” in allowing the project to reach this milestone.

A number of organisations were involved in supporting the operation, including Pembrokeshire County Council, Dyfed-Powys Police, haulage specialists Collett & Sons Ltd and Green Light Traffic Management.

Local media outlets, including The Pembrokeshire Herald, provided advance notice and updates during the delivery process to help keep residents informed.

With the final major deliveries now complete, Dragon LNG and Dragon Energy said the project would continue to progress to the next phase of construction on site.

Concerns raised over cultural funding priorities amid NHS pressures and closure of Welsh institutions

The Welsh Government has come under criticism after it emerged that more than £40,000 of public money was spent supporting an African film festival held in Cardiff.

Figures show that £41,600.90 was paid in February 2025 to Watch Africa CIC, the organisation behind the annual Watch Africa Film Festival, which showcases African cinema through film screenings, workshops, filmmaker question-and-answer sessions and cultural events. According to the festival’s organisers, the event was launched in 2013 and aims to celebrate the richness and diversity of African storytelling through film.

The spending has been challenged by Gareth Davies, the Welsh Conservatives’ Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism, Sport and North Wales, who questioned the decision at a time when public finances in Wales remain under significant pressure.

Mr Davies said the allocation of funding was difficult to justify while Wales continues to experience the longest NHS waiting times in the UK, alongside growing financial pressures on households and mounting challenges for public services.

He also pointed to the situation facing Welsh cultural and artistic organisations, several of which have faced severe funding difficulties in recent years. In particular, he highlighted the closure of National Theatre Wales in 2024 after it lost core financial support.

Mr Davies stressed that his criticism was not aimed at the Watch Africa Film Festival itself, which he said had a place within Wales’ cultural landscape. Instead, he said his concerns related to the use of taxpayer money and how limited culture and arts budgets are being prioritised.

Commenting on the spending, Mr Davies said it was concerning that the Welsh Government had chosen to allocate more than £41,000 to the project at a time when many families were struggling with the cost of living and public services were under intense strain.

He argued that when funding is scarce, it is hard to justify public money being used to support events that, in his view, should be capable of operating without government backing, particularly when long-established Welsh cultural institutions were allowed to collapse due to a lack of financial support.

Mr Davies called on ministers to reassess their priorities and ensure that future culture and arts funding is focused on supporting Welsh culture and organisations that preserve and promote Wales’ national identity.

The Welsh Government has been approached for comment.

Defendant tracked down officer’s home address and sent threatening messages

A FORMER serviceman has been sent to prison after tracking down and harassing a police officer who had arrested him two years earlier.

Gareth Nicholas, aged 41, from Waunarlwydd in Swansea, targeted the officer by discovering his home address and sending a threatening message via Facebook, Swansea Crown Court heard.

The officer had been part of a police team that executed a Scottish arrest warrant at Nicholas’s home in May 2023. Two years later, in August 2025, the officer received an unexpected friend request on social media, followed shortly afterwards by a message that immediately caused concern.

The message began with the words “I found you” and accused the officer of unlawfully entering Nicholas’s property, assaulting him while he was in his underwear, and “abducting” him. Nicholas also claimed he had identified a pattern of corrupt behaviour within the police and issued a veiled threat, stating: “I will catch you down the Liberty son. Look forward to it,” a reference to Swansea City’s former stadium.

The situation escalated further days later when a handwritten letter was delivered to the officer’s former address. The new occupant contacted the officer to alert him to the letter, which repeated allegations of corruption and suggested the matter could be dropped if the officer assisted in exposing alleged police misconduct.

Nicholas was arrested on September 3 and admitted sending the communications, but denied at the time that his actions amounted to stalking.

In evidence, the officer told the court that while he had faced verbal abuse during his policing career, this incident felt different and deeply personal. He said his family installed CCTV cameras, security lighting and fencing, and put safety plans in place for their children. He added that he feared Nicholas had not let go of his perceived injustice and remained concerned the behaviour could continue.

The court heard Nicholas has a substantial criminal record in Scotland between 2019 and 2024, including convictions for stalking, malicious communications, threatening behaviour, domestic abuse offences and possession of ammunition without a licence.

Sentencing Nicholas, Judge Huw Rees acknowledged the trauma the defendant had experienced during military service, but warned him not to repeat the behaviour.

Nicholas, who appeared unrepresented, pleaded guilty to stalking and was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison, reduced by 20 per cent for his early guilty plea. Having already served time on remand, his release is expected shortly. He was also made subject to a five-year restraining order banning any contact with the officer.