News

‘Secret talks’ to bring nukes to Milford Haven

Published

11 years ago

January 28, 2015

Tom Sinclair

Trident: Could nuclear weapons be heading to Pembrokeshire

MILFORD HAVEN PORT AUTHORITY says that it has not yet been approached regarding the relocation of the British nuclear submarine base NMNB Clyde, after rumours resurfaced in the newspapers this week.

The national press is reporting that defence officials have secretly started examining plans to move Britain’s nuclear-armed submarines from Faslane in Scotland to Wales, but the Chief Executive of the port, Alec Don, told The Herald on Wednesday (Jan 28): “We have not yet been approached by any authority in relation to this.”

Stephen Crabb MP said: “I’ve been to Faslane and seen for myself the thousands of high quality jobs provided at the base. At a time when Pembrokeshire has recently lost a major employer, stories like this will sound appealing to some. But the UK Government and the Ministry of Defence are absolutely clear that there are no plans to move the Trident base from Scotland. Such an operation would cost billions of pounds and is not on the table.”

The Scottish Daily Mail has reported on its front page that it’s ‘well-placed source’ said political leaders in Wales were keen for the Ministry of Defence to ‘look at Welsh sites’, including Milford Haven.

The national press is reporting that there are many obstacles to trident coming to Milford Haven aside from the cost, including safety with the LNG terminals. If moving Trident to Milford Haven becomes a necessity, and if the UK Government were to offer Cardiff a good funding package as a sweetener, then it could just be possible, it is being reported.

Scottish Daily Mail on Jan 28

Plaid Cymru has responded to reports that the Ministry of Defence is exploring options for relocating Trident to Wales.

A Plaid spokesperson told The Herald: “Plaid Cymru’s opposition to Trident is longstanding and unconditional. Only last week we held a Commons debate calling for Trident renewal to be scrapped and for the estimated £100bn cost of the system over its lifetime to be diverted to fund vital public services.

The spokesman added: “Talk of the Ministry of Defence making plans to relocate Trident to Wales comes as extremely worrying news. Our nation is not a dumping ground for weapons of mass destruction. We will be taking immediate action to secure clarity on the matter and hope that all parties in Wales will join us in doing the same.”

Frances Bryant, Green Party candidate for Preseli Pembrokeshire told us: “I do not believe the people of Pembrokeshire, and especially Milford Haven, would welcome this dangerous technology in their midst, any more than the people of London or Westminster would welcome it on the Thames.

She added: “As far as the Green Party is concerned we would relocate it to the scrap heap. It is ridiculously expensive,and of no real military value . We think that the 100 billion pounds that this system is projected to cost in its lifetime would be better spent on education, the NHS and other vital social infrastructure.
She concluded: “Jobs in Milford Haven could instead be created and sustained by the fabrication of renewable energy systems which require a well trained and skilled workforce already in place in that location.”

Green Party spokesperson Pippa Bartolotti said: “This is a missile system which costs the people of Britain £5707 a minute, which could kill 320 million people and the £100billion pounds it costs could fund our A and E services for 40 Years. If this money was invested in our green and social infrastructure it would create 2,000,000 jobs.”

She added: “No responsible government will ever use this weapon of mass destruction, but we must be minded that the Trident system is dependent on software, and cyber warfare is the new front line. There is a real and frightening possibility that this software could be hacked by small terrorist cells. No words can describe the anguish of a nuclear strike. Greens call for the abandonment of all nuclear weapons worldwide, and the nuclear power plants which feed them the weapons grade material. The cold war is over, and enough destruction is taking place in terms of pollution and species extinction without the added threat of nuclear warfare. Greens move forward in a more hopeful setting, where empty threats are replaced with solid policies which work for the common good of humanity.”

Cllr Paul Miller said: “Clearly if there were proposals on the table for Trident to be based in Milford Haven there would have be a conversation to be had with people of Pembrokeshire. Our community is desperate for jobs but that would clearly need to be balanced against whatever potential proposal might or might not come forward.”

The Labour candidate for Preseli Pembrokeshire added: “The SNP lost the Independence referendum and aren’t in a position to dictate to the rest of the UK. I’m not sure if this proposal will come to light. If it does, I’ll be on the frontline getting the best for the people of Pembrokeshire.”

A spokesman for Pembrokeshire County Council said: “We declared the county a nuclear-free zone in 1998 and this policy still stands. This decision was taken following an announcement by the then owners of the Royal Naval Armament Depot at Trecwn – Omega Pacific Limited – to utilise the site as a nuclear waste storage facility.”

“This sparked great consternation in Pembrokeshire and it was in the light of this concern that the Authority adopted its nuclear-free policy.”

This week, Comedian Russell Brand has been invited to face shipyard workers after saying the Trident replacement programme they are working on should be scrapped. He posted a video online saying too much money was spent on defence and it should go to the NHS instead. But Barrow Labour MP John Woodcock said he would rather be protected by a nuclear deterrent than an “eccentric comedian”.

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What is Trident?

THE UK Trident Programme deals with the attaining, operating and developing British nuclear weapons. Trident itself is a structure of four submarines armed with ballistic missiles, which delivers multiple thermonuclear warheads, more commonly known as hydrogen bombs. It is currently the British military forces’ most powerful and expensive weapon.

Although patrols began in 1994, the Trident programme was first initiated in July 1980, during a period of immense tension in the Cold War. It was regarded that there was a threat coming from the Soviet Union and its allies in the Warsaw Pact. The tridents were built with a twenty-five-year life expectancy, but are expected to continue into 2042 following an upgrade.

Since 1998, Trident is the only nuclear service in Britain and is currently situated at the Clyde Naval Base in Scotland. At least one submarine is always on patrol as a preventative measure of nuclear war.

Trident has been said to be the best way of ensuring peace and deterring an aggressor. Every British government since 1945 has seen the necessity of nuclear weapons. Yet, it is a very expensive programme and nuclear weapons are seen to be immoral. Britain could set an example through disarmament. Countries such as Spain, Australia, Canada and Germany do not have nuclear weapons and they still have global influence.

News

Audit Wales: Welsh Gov’t has improved Regional Integration Fund oversight

Published

8 minutes ago

April 6, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Report finds previous recommendations led to better management of public money, but warns more work is needed by health boards and councils

AUDIT WALES has said the Welsh Government has made clear improvements in the way it manages the Regional Integration Fund, but warned that health boards and local authorities still need to strengthen their oversight of how the money is spent.

A report published by the Auditor General for Wales found that positive action taken in response to earlier audit recommendations has helped improve the use of public money.

The Regional Integration Fund supports efforts to better join up health, social care and housing services across Wales.

Audit Wales said the fund helped 181,922 people live independently during 2024-25 by supporting the management of their health and care needs.

The latest report follows an earlier 2019 review of the Integrated Care Fund, which identified both positive impacts and weaknesses in the way the fund was managed. That earlier review made six recommendations to the Welsh Government, all of which were accepted.

Since then, the Welsh Government has replaced the Integrated Care Fund with the Health and Social Care Regional Integration Fund, introduced in April 2022. Capital elements of the previous scheme were replaced by a new Housing with Care Fund.

According to Audit Wales, five of the six original recommendations have now been fully implemented, with the sixth partially implemented.

The report says the Welsh Government has improved the speed of its decision-making, strengthened monitoring arrangements and helped Regional Partnership Boards share learning and good practice.

However, the report also found weaknesses in how health boards and local authorities oversee the work of Regional Partnership Boards and the way Regional Integration Fund money is used.

Between 2021-22 and 2026-27, Regional Partnership Boards will have had access to £1.45 billion in Welsh Government funding, including £731 million through the Regional Integration Fund.

As statutory members of those boards, health boards and local authorities are responsible for oversight of the activity and spending. Audit Wales said more needs to be done to ensure that responsibility is being carried out properly and in line with Welsh Government guidance.

Auditor General for Wales Adrian Crompton said he was encouraged that the Welsh Government had taken the findings of the 2019 report seriously and acted on the recommendations.

He said the follow-up report showed clear improvements in the management of public money by both the Welsh Government and Regional Partnership Boards.

Mr Crompton added that, as more funding is channelled through Regional Partnership Boards, it is important that the Welsh Government continues working with partner bodies to make sure public money is being overseen and spent wisely.

The report also includes further recommendations intended to help shape the future management of the fund.

Charity

St Davids RNLI launches on Easter Monday after drifting kayak spotted off Solva

Published

2 hours ago

April 6, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Missing vessel recovered near shore after coastguard confirms it had been reported lost days earlier

ST DAVIDS RNLI launched on Easter Monday after an upturned kayak was spotted drifting east of Solva Harbour.

The all-weather lifeboat, Norah Wortley, was requested to launch at 11:04am on Monday (Apr 6) after the vessel was seen floating in the water.

Heading into a strong south-easterly wind, the Tamar-class lifeboat made directly for Aber-west. Members of HM Coastguard St Davids Cliff Rescue Team assisted from the clifftop, helping to guide the volunteer crew to the kayak.

As the vessel was lying close to the shore, the lifeboat’s daughter boat was launched to recover it and bring it aboard the Norah Wortley.

Photographs of the kayak were then sent to HM Coastguard in Milford Haven, which confirmed it had been reported missing from Porthclais several days earlier.

That meant there was no need for a shoreline search for the owner.

The kayak was taken to Solva Harbour, where it was handed over to HM Coastguard and secured on the quay wall. The lifeboat returned to station at about 12:30pm.

St Davids RNLI Coxswain Will Chant said: “The timely reporting of a missing kayak by the owner potentially saved an unnecessary search operation. Thank you to members of St Davids Coastguard team for their assistance during this shout.”

Picture caption:

Easter Monday shout: St Davids RNLI recovers a drifting kayak off Solva after it was reported missing days earlier (Pics: RNLI)

News

Flooding fuels rise in rail delays across Wales

Published

4 hours ago

April 6, 2026

Tom Sinclair

New analysis links worsening disruption to heavier rainfall and repeated trouble spots on the network

RAIL passengers in Wales are facing growing delays and cancellations as flooding increasingly hits the network, according to new analysis based on Network Rail data.

Figures obtained through the Freedom of Information Act suggest flood-related disruption affecting services in Wales has risen by around 256 per cent compared with the mid-2010s.

Between 2022 and 23 December 2025, services affecting passengers in Wales generated an average of around 2,366 passenger delay minutes a year due to flooding. That compares with an average of 664 a year between 2014 and 2017.

The analysis, carried out by climate not-for-profit Round Our Way, says train operators serving towns and cities across Wales, including Great Western Railway, CrossCountry, Transport for Wales and Avanti West Coast, have all been affected.

The worst disruption has been concentrated around a number of repeat trouble spots on the rail network, including Machynlleth, Cardiff Central, Bridgend, Bangor and Pontyclun, where flooding has repeatedly interrupted services.

Round Our Way said its analysis of Network Rail cancellation data suggests flood-related disruption is placing increasing strain on the rail network as periods of extreme rainfall become more common.

The group said the figures show not only more major disruption events, but also a worsening day-to-day baseline, with even quieter periods now causing more passenger delay than in previous years.

Gemma Plumb, a meteorologist at Weather Change, said: “It’s clear that train users are seeing more and more disruption to their journeys as a result of heavy rain and flooding, which is hugely frustrating for people who rely on the train network to get around.

“We know that climate change is leading to more extreme weather, including more intense rainfall. This is because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, so when it rains, it rains more.”

Sofie Jenkinson, co-director at Round Our Way, said the rail network appeared to be under “persistent weather stress” as climate change began to have more regular effects.

She said: “This causes significantly more delays to train passengers. But it is also a problem for rail operators, particularly the large inter-city train operators running services into regions of the country that are worst hit by flooding, like the South West, Scotland and Wales.

“The significant rise in delays shows the increased impact of extreme weather caused by climate change, raising concerns about safety beneath the surface of our creaking rail infrastructure for passengers and operators alike.”

Round Our Way said Britain was not adequately prepared for the effects of climate change on everyday infrastructure and called for long-term investment to make the rail network more resilient.

The group pointed to wider warnings from climate experts that rising global temperatures are likely to increase the intensity of rainfall, putting more pressure on ageing transport systems.

Network Rail data used in the study covers the period from 1 April 2014 to 23 December 2025 and relates to incidents classed as flood-related disruption.

A train is recorded as cancelled if it fails to stop at one or more planned stations. Full cancellations are classed as trains that completed less than half of their intended journey, while part cancellations are those that ran at least half, but not the full route, or missed one or more planned stops.