News
Solva: Works start on flood defence project which will help 40 properties
NATURAL RESOURCES WALES (NRW) has started work on a two-year project in Solva that will aim to reduce flood risk for over 40 properties in the local community.
The project, working with local partners including the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, Pembrokeshire County Council, the National Trust and local landowners, will focus on using natural flood risk management techniques along with traditional methods to ‘slow the flow’ and manage flood risk in the Solva catchment.
The first phase of this work involves the installation of 11 leaky dams on a tributary near St Davids Airfield on land managed by the National Trust and Pembrokeshire County Council.
Leaky dams allow normal flows to pass underneath them but restrict higher river flows and allow more water to be absorbed and stored locally.
Over the next two years NRW plan to install leaky dams at other suitable locations as well as other natural processes along the local water courses.
This will improve the level of flood protection given by Pont y Cerbyd Flood Storage Area to the communities of Middle Mill and Solva.
Mair Rees, Technical Officer of Biodiversity for NRW, said: “Lowering flood risk for communities is one of our biggest goals, which is why we monitor river levels 24 hours a day, find solutions to defend homes and work closely with those at risk.
“The work we’ve started in Solva is an example of green engineering, where a solution to a problem not only has minimal environmental impact but can also bring improvements to water quality, biodiversity and habitat creation.
“By working with natural processes, we are helping to sustainably manage the natural resources of Wales.
“We’re very excited to be starting this project and we look forward to working with our partners again and with local land owners and communities in the future.”
Cllr Cris Tomos, Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment and Welsh Language, said: “We are very pleased to support the NRW in this exciting project and are hopeful that it will result in a much-improved flood defence system for Middlemill and Solva while continuing to protect the natural habitat.
“The project is an excellent example of joint working across various organisations, with several officers providing assistance from different teams within the County Council, as well as support and advice from the Pembrokeshire Nature Partnership.”
Mark Underhill, National Trust Countryside Manager for North Pembrokeshire, said: “We are really pleased to be able to help Natural Resources Wales with this project.
“It is interesting to see this innovative low-tech approach to managing flood risk which could also bring some conservation benefits to the land we manage.”
Community
Milford Haven Carnival organisers appeal for help from residents
MILFORD HAVEN ROUND TABLE is asking residents in Hakin and Hubberston to help keep roads clear ahead of this Saturday’s Carnival Procession.
Organisers say the event is shaping up to be one of the biggest yet, with a large number of floats, lorries and support vehicles expected to make their way through Hakin before the procession begins at Waterloo Square.
Residents living along Gelliswick Road, Rectory Avenue, Glebelands and Picton Road, particularly near the junction with Observatory Avenue, are being asked to avoid double parking or parking on pavements where possible between around 11.45am and 1.00pm.
The route being used by the floats and support vehicles is shown on the map.
Some of the vehicles involved are large, and organisers say keeping the roads as clear as possible for the short period will help ensure the procession reaches Waterloo Square safely and on time.
Milford Haven Round Table said the carnival “belongs to the whole community” and thanked residents for their continued support.
They added: “Your understanding and cooperation, even for this short time, will make a huge difference and help make this year’s Carnival another fantastic day for our town.”
Residents are also being encouraged to share the message with friends, family and neighbours who live along the affected roads.

Crime
New Year’s Day drug-driver banned after police stop in Milford Haven
A NEW YEAR’S EVE drive has resulted in a 12-month road ban after a motorist was found to be more than twice the legal cannabis limit.
Ridwan Rahman, 20, was stopped by police as he drove his Vauxhall Astra along Steynton Road, Milford Haven, on January 1.
“Police noted the car accelerating away from traffic lights in an erratic manner,” Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.
“When officers asked the vehicle to stop, they smelt cannabis coming from inside.”
A blood test later showed Rahman had 5.2mcg of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in cannabis, in his system. The legal limit is 2mcg.
Rahman, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to drug-driving. He was represented in court by solicitor Alaw Harries, who disputed the prosecution’s claim that he had been driving erratically.
“He does not accept that he was driving in an erratic manner, nor that he accelerated away from the traffic lights,” she said.
“The officers told him he had been stopped because the vehicle’s registration plate light was not working.”
Rahman, of Carbon Close, Newport, was fined £323 and ordered to pay a £129 court surcharge and £85 costs.
He was disqualified from driving for 12 months.
Crime
Fishguard man jailed after breaching order banning contact with mother
A FISHGUARD man has been jailed after breaching a restraining order which banned him from contacting his mother.
Steven O’Sullivan attended his mother’s home on June 22, despite the order having been imposed in November 2012. It prohibited him from having any direct or indirect contact with her.
“She felt she needed to phone the police because she was frightened of her son,” Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.
“He had been dropped off at his mother’s property by a female, and his mother went upstairs to ring the police because he makes her feel vulnerable.”
When officers arrived, they found O’Sullivan inside an outbuilding, crouching beside an outside toilet.
“There have been a number of previous breaches, the most recent being on June 5,” continued Ms Vaughan. “Now we have yet another one on June 22.”
O’Sullivan, of Gwelfor, Fishguard, is currently on remand at Swansea Prison. He is also accused of stealing beer and food worth £45 from the Nisa store in Haverfordwest on June 21.
Representing him in court, solicitor Tom Lloyd said there had been no threats of violence when O’Sullivan went to his mother’s home.
“But the aggravating factor is his previous convictions,” he told the bench.
“He was particularly upset and had nowhere else to go. This was why he went to see his mother.”
Magistrates jailed O’Sullivan for eight weeks. He was also ordered to pay a £154 court surcharge and £85 costs.
He is due to return to Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on July 7 to enter a plea in relation to the alleged theft offence.
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