News
Projects to reduce motorcycle fatalities

Edwina Hart: ‘There is significant scope for further improvements’
FOUR projects which aim to improve road safety and reduce the number of motorcycle casualties on Welsh roads are to benefit from Welsh Government research funding Transport and Science Minister, Edwina Hart, announced last week.
The news comes after three motorcycle fatalities on the roads of Pembrokeshire in recent months, the most recent on Sunday (Jul 19). In Carmarthenshire, a biker was seriously injured in a collision with a lorry on Friday (Jul 17) on the A483 near Sugarloaf.
The projects were selected from forty-seven bids after the Minister issued a challenge to companies, other public bodies and the voluntary sector earlier this year to submit creative ideas to help improve road safety for motorcyclists.
The Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Innovation Challenge required companies to identify pioneering approaches to reduce motorcycle casualties in Wales – a priority target for the Welsh Government.
Funding will now be given to the four selected companies to run feasibility studies as part of the first stage of the challenge.
Announcing the successful projects, Mrs Hart said: “We can all take pride in the fact that Welsh roads are amongst the safest in the world. However, we must avoid complacency and recognise that there is significant scope for further improvements.
“The Welsh Government is committed to reducing casualties through a combination of measures including education, engineering and enforcement.
“This challenge is about harnessing potential to find tangible solutions which address key issues. I look forward to seeing how the successful projects develop.”
The selected projects are:
An advanced helmet liner from Armourgel Ltd, which will incorporate Armourgel material into motorcycle helmets with the aim of protecting motorcyclists from rotational acceleration brain injuries; a flexible use energy absorption and dissipation material from Tecosim Technical Simulations Ltd that can be cut to size and fitted to street furniture; a junction alert system from Fusion Processing Ltd which will use a combination of radar and cameras to identify when a motorcyclist is approaching, and a side view light for motorcycles from Style Eyes Ltd that appears to flicker in peripheral vision, making it more noticeable to drivers at junctions.
Each project will receive up to £15,000 until December 2015 to develop their proposal. Following this, the two most promising will share funding of up to £450,000 to develop their product to a point where it can be marketed.
Community
Stix Noodle Bar in Haverfordwest rewards visitors who park and shop local
A POPULAR restaurant is taking on one of the town centre’s biggest frustrations with a new initiative designed to ease parking stress and encourage more visitors into the heart of the community.
Stix Noodle Bar has announced a new scheme offering customers money off their bill when they show proof of paid parking in the town.
Under the initiative, diners who present an active parking ticket or parking app booking will receive the equivalent cost of one hour’s parking deducted from their meal bill.
The business says the idea was created in response to ongoing concerns about local parking pressures, while also supporting neighbouring independent traders and encouraging more people to spend time in the town centre.
In a statement released alongside the launch, the restaurant said: “Tired of Haverfordwest’s parking stress? So are we. That’s why we’re doing something about it.”
The team behind the noodle bar is encouraging visitors to “park up, come in, eat well, then go explore some of the brilliant businesses right on our doorstep,” adding that “Haverfordwest is worth stopping for.”
The scheme has already received support from local representatives, including Reform Councillor, Scott Thorley, who praised the move as a practical way to support the town centre economy.
“This is an excellent idea,” he said. “Tackling parking stress while boosting local businesses and footfall in Haverfordwest — this is exactly the practical support our town centre needs.”
Community
Pembrokeshire named UK’s most photographed coastal national park
County’s coastline places sixth in UK-wide photo study
PEMBROKESHIRE has been named the most photographed coastal national park in the UK, according to new data from photo curation app Popsa.
The study, which analysed metadata from millions of customer photos uploaded in 2025, ranked Pembrokeshire Coast National Park sixth overall out of the UK’s 15 national parks.
It was the highest-ranked coastal park in the list, ahead of destinations including the Cairngorms, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, the Yorkshire Dales and Dartmoor.
Popsa gave Pembrokeshire a Photo Index Score of 28, representing 5.76% of all UK national park photography included in the study.
The company said the county’s 186-mile coastline, with its limestone arches, sea stacks, beaches and hidden coves, offered “photographic variety that few parks can match”.
Barafundle Bay was highlighted as one of the most photographed locations, particularly at low tide, while Skomer Island was noted for its puffin colonies, which attract photographers between April and July.
Wales performed strongly overall, with all three national parks appearing in the UK top ten. Eryri, formerly Snowdonia, ranked fifth, Pembrokeshire sixth, and Bannau Brycheiniog, formerly the Brecon Beacons, tenth.
Together, the three Welsh parks accounted for 16.46% of all UK national park photography in the study.
The Lake District topped the list, followed by the South Downs, the Peak District and the New Forest.
Popsa CEO Liam Houghton said: “Wales has three genuinely world-class national parks and this data shows they are clearly on photographers’ radar.
“But there’s a real gap between the quality of the landscapes and the volume of photos being taken there compared to the English parks.”
The findings suggest Pembrokeshire remains one of the UK’s standout destinations for landscape, wildlife and coastal photography, while also underlining the continued importance of the national park to the county’s tourism economy.
Crime
Pembroke woman accused of scrap fraud to appear in court
Defendant accused of dishonestly selling vehicle for scrap in Haverfordwest
A PEMBROKE woman is due to appear before magistrates charged with fraud after allegedly selling a vehicle for scrap in Haverfordwest.
Natalie Morris, aged 42, of Corston Lodge, Axton Hill, is accused of fraud by false representation under the Fraud Act 2006.
The allegation relates to an incident said to have taken place in Haverfordwest on Tuesday (Aug 9), 2022, in which Morris allegedly dishonestly made a false representation by selling a silver Toyota Corolla, registration CU52 XBR, for scrap.
The court heard the alleged offence was carried out with the intention of making a financial gain of £313.
The case was listed before Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on Monday (May 18), where a previously issued warrant was withdrawn.
No plea was entered and the matter was adjourned.
Morris is now due to appear before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court at 10:00am on Tuesday (May 26) for a plea hearing, where she will be asked to enter a guilty or not guilty plea.
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sjb
August 8, 2015 at 4:24 pm
I often travel from Pembs towards Chester and for the last 5 years we have had one lane shut at several places on the A40 and A483 . They have NO money to repair the roads but I guess the £1,500 quid a week per roadworks comes from a different pot so that’s something completely different. (1500 X 52 weeksXnumber of years X number of roadworks etc ….)
Look for the signs “Lane closed for your safety” – honestly If they cannot afford to repair roads so that main roads are SINGLE TRACK how on earth can we take the senedd seriously
sjb
August 12, 2015 at 11:05 pm
ooops missed the £1,500 a week was for each set of traffic lights
anon
August 17, 2015 at 7:18 pm
Has anybody thought of educating motorcyclist to ride properly!
not cut cars up at junctions, not ride down lines of stationery traffic!
and ride at excessive speed, these do not help motorists.