News
Cleddau Bridge: Last minute deal keeps abolition of tolls on track
STAFF unions have been told that the Welsh Government has reached an eleventh-hour deal with Pembrokeshire County Council to keep the abolition of tolls on track for April 1.
The Council Cabinet is due to meet tomorrow to ratify the terms of the deal.
The deal includes payments towards the maintenance of both Westfield Pill and the Cleddau Bridge of £3m p.a. subject to a review in 20 years.
The Welsh Government will also make a one-off payment to cover the cost of abolishing the tolls, including changes to infrastructure and redundancy costs.
Economy and Transport Secretary, Ken Skates said:
“I am confident abolishing the tolls on the Cleddau Bridge will serve to accelerate local economic growth, better connect businesses and communities, and make it easier and cheaper for people to travel to access quality employment opportunities.
“Indeed a study commissioned by Pembrokeshire County Council shows the removal of the tolls will support the areas economic development strategy, providing a boost to its local economy, to the Enterprise Zone and to the small and medium-sized enterprises in the area.
“We recognise the decision to abolish the tolls will have implications both on the Council’s budget and on the employment status of the majority of those workers who have been manning the booths.
“With this in mind we have offered the Council a generous deal of £3m per annum to cover loss of revenue as well as additional funding to cover costs and toll infrastructure removal.”
Paying tribute to the staff who will be affected by the toll removal, Ken Skates added:
“The Council is making every effort to deploy the toll staff who will be affected by this change. I would like to thank them for their public service and wish them every success in the future.”
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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