MOTORISTS driving through Narberth were caught in long delays last Friday.

Some drivers reported being stuck in the town centre snarl up for more than an hour as congestion built on the one-way system and approach roads.

The problem was so bad that it featured on travel reports broadcast on BBC Radio.

County Councillor for Narberth, Marc Tierney said that he had raised concerns over additional traffic build ups before the temporary closure of Redstone Road with Council officers and Dyfed Powys Police but was unable to confirm the exact cause of the delays last week.

Redstone Road will remain closed for a further couple of weeks at its current junction with the A40, as work continues on the multi-million pound, EU-funded Llanddewi Velfrey to Redstone Cross by-pass scheme.

Cllr Tierney said: “Residents and businesses were severely impacted by the gridlock that brought Narberth to a standstill for hours last Friday afternoon. Traffic has been a little heavier during peak times due to Redstone Road being closed, but thankfully both the weekend closure of the A40 and Redstone closure have been managed well so far by the contractors, Griffiths Ltd and Pembrokeshire County Council.”

With the bank holiday weekend approaching, Cllr Tierney is reminding residents and businesses of the possibility of further delays and is asking motorists to be considerate when driving through the town:

“We know that traffic can be a problem in Narberth and I’ve shared my concerns on this incident with the relevant organisations. I’d ask that all motorists travelling through town be considerate of other road users especially whilst Redstone Road remains closed and as we approach a busy bank holiday weekend.”

A PEMBROKESHIRE spring-calving dairy farm is introducing a new feeding system for newborn calves in what is to be thought the first trial of its kind in a large-scale herd.

Will and Alex Prichard are feeding enriched pasteurised transition milk to calves in their first 10 days of life rather than abruptly transitioning them to whole milk or milk powder.

Research has shown that feeding transition milk to young calves vastly improves their digestive system’s ability to digest milk, with those benefits sustained to keep them healthy and thriving as they grow.

The Prichard’s, who produces milk from 500 spring calvers, were keen to trial this feeding system in their own herd at Escalwen, Letterston, in the hope of improving calf health and wellbeing.

They are doing this with support from the Farming Connect Try Out Fund, an initiative that funds individuals and groups of farmers and growers to experiment with ideas and bring them to life.

Although the health benefits from enriched pasteurised transition milk have previously been demonstrated in all-year round calving herds in the USA and Canada, it is believed to be the first time it has been trialled in a large-scale block calving herd.

Getting the correct nutrition is crucial in the early stages of a calf’s life.

Even after a few hours the animal loses its ability to absorb antibodies – there is a dramatic reduction within 10 hours of birth and, by 20 hours, that capacity has all but gone.

To establish the effectiveness of the transition milk product, calves born at Escalwen this spring are being blood tested for antibody levels.

The transition milk is also being tested for its immunoglobulin (IgG) status before and after it has been pasteurised.

If it needs enriching this is being done to raise the BRIX value to a minimum of 12.5%. It is then fed to calves during their first 10 days of life.

An optical refractometer is being used to measure milk BRIX as it gives an instant result but by the end of the study all batches of transition milk will have been tested for IgG using Radial Immunodiffusion Assay at the University of Edinburgh.

Vet Dr Ryan Davies, director of Veterinary Technical Consulting Ltd, who is providing expert input into the project, says this will enable the accuracy of milk BRIX to be determined to quantify IgG status.

“We will then assess this against the health status of the calves,’’ he says.

Mortality from neonatal calf diseases such as diarrhoea, pneumonia and navel and joint ill is being monitored and antibiotic use too, as well as daily liveweight gains – at birth, at 30-35 days and at weaning.

The Try Out project hopes to understand more about how dairy farmers with large block calving herds can consistently produce animals that are healthy, productive and have a good quality of life through optimising calf health with preventative healthcare.

More productive animals mean less carbon emissions, higher standards of animal welfare and a reduction in antibiotic usage.

Not only do Will and Alex hope to reap the benefits in their own system but that other farmers will too when the findings are shared with the industry at the end of the project.

“Having the ability to acquire extra resources at the busiest time of our year has allowed us to monitor the results of our actions in a more scientific fashion,’’ says Will.

“Funding large scale testing is telling us so much about what is happening in our own herd environment and most importantly what behaviours and protocols are driving tangible improvements in herd health and antibiotic reduction.”

They had already made big gains in improving calf health before this project got underway.

The five-year average for morbidity in their pre-weaned calves from 2018-2022 was 45%, in line with the national average of 47% – in 2023 it was reduced to 17%.

Use of the Highest Priority Critically Important Antibiotics was reduced from 1.98mg/ population corrected unit (PCU) in 2022 to zero the following year.

A JOHNSTON woman has been remanded in custody by a District Judge on suspicion of concealing heroin inside her vagina, with intent to supply it to others.

Carrie Davidson was arrested by police officers on April 19 on suspicion that she had travelled to Cardiff to collect the Class A drug before travelling back to Pembrokeshire by train.

Officers apprehended her at Carmarthen train station and arrested her on suspicion of trafficking drugs.

She was subsequently charged with attempting to conceal a Class A drug on her person with intent to supply it to others.

Since her arrest, Davidson has been kept in police custody and supervised on a 24-hour basis, as officers believe the drugs have been concealed inside her vagina.

“Last Monday a food-type bag was discharged from her vagina that did not contain drugs and two days later a further piece of cling film was discharged from her vagina, again containing no drugs,” Crown Prosecutor Sian Vaughan informed District Judge Mark Layton when Davidson appeared before Llanelli magistrates on Tuesday morning.

Ms Vaughan went on to say that Davidson has declined to have an intimate search carried out by medics and has also refused to have both a scan and an x-ray of her lower body.

Since her arrest, Davidson has been remanded in police custody and subjected to 24-hour monitoring by officers.

This week the Crown requested that she be remanded in custody for a further eight days while officers continue to monitor her.

The request was granted by District Judge Mark Layton despite an application from her solicitor for her to be released.

“The police have reasonable grounds to believe that you have drugs inside your vagina, and two items have already been ejected,” he said.

“Your refusal to undergo any form of scans on your lower body will suggest to me that the police application is reasonable and correct.”

Davidson, who appeared in the dock in a wheelchair, has been remanded in custody for a further eight days.

“Thank you,” she commented following Judge Layton’s decision. “I’ll now stop eating and drinking.”