POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a motorcyclist suffered serious and potentially life-threatening injuries in a crash near Aberystwyth.

The single-vehicle collision happened at around 7:00am on Saturday, July 11, on the A487 at Blaenplwyf.

It involved a blue Suzuki motorcycle.

The 30-year-old rider was taken to hospital by air ambulance, where he remains. His family are being supported by specialist officers.

Dyfed-Powys Police is asking anyone who witnessed the collision, or who was travelling along the A487 at the time and may have relevant dashcam footage, to come forward.

Information can be provided online through the Dyfed-Powys Police website, by emailing [email protected], sending a direct message on social media or calling 101.

Anyone contacting police should quote reference 82 of July 11.

People who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired can text the non-emergency number on 07811 311 908.

A CARMARTHENSHIRE man has been sentenced after admitting responsibility for repeated fly-tipping near an industrial estate in Carmarthen.

Environmental enforcement officers from Carmarthenshire County Council were called to private land beside the railway line near Cillefwr Industrial Estate, Johnstown, on Saturday, December 6, 2025.

A large quantity of household rubbish and building materials had been dumped at the site.

Evidence recovered from the waste led officers to Edward Bassett following what the council described as a detailed and lengthy investigation.

Bassett was later interviewed by council officers and admitted dumping waste at the location on several occasions.

He appeared before Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on June 18, 2026, and pleaded guilty to one offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and a further offence under the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989.

Magistrates imposed a 12-month community order, including 200 hours of unpaid work.

Bassett was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £2,403.24 and a victim surcharge of £140.

Cllr Aled Vaughan Owen, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Cabinet Member responsible for enforcement, said: “This case demonstrates the council’s commitment to investigating incidents thoroughly and taking robust enforcement action against those responsible.

“We would encourage residents to continue reporting fly-tipping and to ensure that their waste is disposed of responsibly through authorised carriers and facilities.”

The council said it continues to operate a zero-tolerance approach to environmental crime and will take enforcement action where sufficient evidence is available.

Fly-tipping incidents can be reported through Carmarthenshire County Council’s website.

Councillor alleges misleading figures, inadequate insurance and poor treatment of staff

CALLS for an independent investigation into the controversial closure of Manorbier Church in Wales VC School are gathering pace ahead of a full council meeting next week.

Local member Cllr Phil Kidney has submitted a Notice of Motion calling for a full and impartial inquiry into the way Pembrokeshire County Council handled the closure process.

The proposed investigation would examine the length of time taken, alleged broken promises, insurance arrangements and the involvement of the council’s Human Resources department.

Cllr Kidney says the review should be carried out by someone who is not employed by the authority and should have the power to recommend disciplinary action where appropriate.

He said: “A full impartial review should hopefully stop another school being treated so appallingly.”

The call has now been backed by Milford Haven Hakin Reform councillor Scott Thorley, who launched a strongly worded attack on the authority’s handling of the school.

Writing on Facebook, Cllr Thorley said: “The council’s treatment of this school is shocking. Misleading figures, manufactured pupil numbers, totally inadequate insurance and the worst thing was the treatment of the staff.”

The claims have not yet been independently established, but they add to growing pressure on the council to explain how the school’s closure was handled and why the fire-damaged building was not fully reinstated.

Manorbier School and the adjoining schoolhouse were severely damaged by fire in October 2022, with pupils subsequently moved to a temporary “school from school” at Jameston Village Hall.

Although campaigners had hoped the original school would be rebuilt, councillors later backed a statutory process to discontinue it.

The proposal attracted strong opposition, with more than 1,500 people signing a petition calling for the school to be rebuilt and more than 90 per cent of consultation respondents opposing closure.

At a special meeting on June 15, councillors voted by 30 votes to 23, with four abstentions, to proceed with the final steps towards closure.

The Diocese of St Davids also opposed the decision and warned that legal action, including judicial review, could follow.

Questions remain over the insurance cover in place at the time of the fire, the true cost of rebuilding or closing the school, disputed pupil and surplus-place figures, and the treatment of staff during the process.

Pembrokeshire County Council has previously said the Leader has asked the Governance and Audit Committee to review the authority’s insurance position.

Cllr Kidney is also seeking an apology from Cllr Paul Miller, the council’s deputy leader and Cabinet Member for Education.

He has asked whether Cllr Miller will apologise to staff and parents for comments made at the June meeting, including claims that children would receive a better education at St Florence and that Manorbier pupils were being taught in one room.

Cllr Kidney described those comments as factually wrong and insulting to staff who had worked to maintain education standards after the fire.

Both the motion for an investigation and the request for an apology are due to be considered when full council meets on Thursday (Jul 16).