News

Pembroke Dock: Residents say no to waste facility

Published

7 years ago

June 5, 2019

RESIDENTS and Pembroke Dock Town Councillors have said they do not want a waste transfer facility in the town.

At a meeting of the Town Council on Thursday (May 30), members discussed the plans having previously met with the Port Authority while Natural Resources Wales have also held a consultation evening in the Town.

It is planned to store waste which will be used to produce energy. Usually this is processed baled waste and loose processed wood waste. It would contain non-hazardous waste from homes and businesses, which can be used as fuel to produce electricity in offsite energy-from-waste facilities.

All waste sites must have a permit before they can operate. To be granted a permit the operators must show that they have the right infrastructure, management techniques and equipment to deal with the waste in the proposed area.

In a statement released in May, Andrea Winterton, Operations Manager from NRW said: “The Milford Haven Waterway, as well as being a key hub for the energy industry, is a rich habitat for wildlife, and part of the Pembrokeshire Marine Special Area of Conservation.
“Our experts will now begin their assessment, but local knowledge is incredibly valuable to us. All comments we receive as part of our consultation will be considered when it comes to making our decision.”

Many at the meeting said there were a number of unanswered questions and Cllr Josh Beynon said he didn’t think anybody in the building would be able to answer them. He suggested a meeting be set up with members of the Council and the Port Authority for them to outline their plans to members of the public.
Some people said the smells coming from the site when it was previously operated had put tourists off and that there had been problems with flies.

Cllr Beynon read out an email from the Council’s Strategic Project Manager who said that since August 2018 the site had been used as a waste transfer station for orange bags and that there was no processing of materials on the site.
It also said that since PCC had taken over the facility, NRW had been happy with the current practice.

Cllr Paul Dowson said he had visited the Port Authority but said that they didn’t seem to know an awful lot about what was being planned.
He added that there didn’t seem to be any details and that unless they didn’t invite the Port to a meeting it would just be a ‘rubbish tip that smells’.

Cllr Dowson went on to say: “The Port Authority have a long lasting legacy of not being very good with the truth. They have denied the operation, the staff have been told not to mention it. What are they up to? There are so many grey areas and we are a long way off before saying we do support it.
“Pembroke Dock isn’t the waste bin of Wales. I will be opposing this and we have to represent the views of the people of the town of Pembroke Dock.”

One resident, Peter Cox, spoke of the proximity of the rubbish to South Pembrokeshire Hospital and said they had to put fly traps up outside it because they didn’t have the resources to do so.

Another said that looking for information was like an ‘iron curtain’ adding: “This was thrown out from Swansea, if Swansea don’t want it, why the hell are we going to have it?”

Cllr Murton added that when RDF operated the site previously it was a ‘scandalous disgrace’ and that she was ‘delighted’ when it was closed down.
Cllr George Manning said: “We need to meet with PCC and the Port to explain their plans in more detail. We don’t want it in Pembroke Dock. This is not the place to have it, just 300 yards from the town centre. We have to use the Dock as it should be used.”

Chris Page said he had difficulty downloading documents from the NRW website during the consultation and that the Port needed to explain their plans before a permit was given.
Another resident said that when they moved to the area from Suffolk there were no flies but when RDF operated the site they were getting more and more flies.

Cllr O’Connor said: “It has been made very clear, we have to be united as a council and say no to waste dumping in Pembroke Dock.
“If they want to store waste somewhere, find somewhere suitable because Pembroke Dock says no.”
Others commented that they didn’t want to be ‘prisoners’ in their own home and that Pembroke Dock would become the ‘capital of waste’.
One person from the Shipwright Inn said that tourism was really good but added they had seen some families walk out because of the smell saying it was not only ‘embarrassing’ for them but for the town as well.

Some at the meeting spoke of doing a protest if it went ahead and making a petition against putting waste on the site.
Mayor, Cllr Gordon Goff concluded by saying: “Nothing will be passed by the Town Council until all the questions are answered. This is Pembroke Dock not Pembroke Dump.”
A spokesperson for Natural Resources Wales said: “We are currently assessing an application for an environmental permit for a waste facility, reference PAN-003929, from Milford Haven Port Authority. The application is for:

The temporary storage of baled fuel derived from waste, namely Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) and Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF), pending onward transfer.
The temporary storage of wood waste pending onward transfer
The maximum amount of RDF, SRF or wood proposed to be stored is to be less than 9000 tonnes at any one time
The annual throughput of waste proposed is 80,000 tonnes per annum.

“Our public consultation window, which has now closed, has generated responses from both technical consultees and members of the public. We are in the process of assessing the responses and all relevant comments will be taken into consideration.

“We will endeavour to reach a draft decision as quickly as possible, however we do need to make sure that all required information is gathered and assessed appropriately

“We will only grant an environmental permit if we believe that the application achieves the standards of the environmental legislation and the operator has the ability to meet the conditions of the permit. Any permit we may grant will include appropriate conditions to protect human health and the environment.”

Speaking after the meeting, Andy Jones, Interim CEO, said: “We met with Pembroke Dock Town Council a few weeks ago to discuss our application to NRW for a temporary waste storage permit. The feedback we received at the time was largely positive. The meeting prompted further questions from individual councillors which we have responded to and since there has been no response to the answers provided we assumed we had addressed any concerns. We are surprised, therefore, to read that Town Councillors have said, in their most recent meeting on 30th May, that they are not supportive of our plans.

“The comments made by Town Councillors are generally referring back to memories of an unpleasant and unacceptable experience during the previous operation which was not run by ourselves, but by a third party. This time we are confident things will be different. If we didn’t have this confidence we would not be making this application.

“The following mitigation measures will be put in place. It is important to note that these were not in place during the previous operation:

Minimum 8 layers of bale wrap

Fine mesh net covering bales

Contact insecticide distributed on board around stack

5m screen surrounding stack with netting = secondary fly net and site screen

Pesticide control regime primarily focusing on larvicides

Stock tracking e.g. oldest bales shipped first

Stringent acceptance and monitoring procedures

Odour neutralising technology

Bale reception procedure to identify non-compliant waste

“As a Trust Port, we exist to create opportunities for the people and businesses of Pembrokeshire. We are a catalyst for economic growth and our mission is to build prosperity across the Haven. As we have mentioned before, our staff are local people, many of them living near the Port and very much part of the community. We, as much as the Town Council and local residents, do not want Pembroke Dock to be the waste bin of Wales. This is not, and will never be, what we are proposing. We are very proud of Pembroke Port’s historical significance as a Dockyard, and we are simply trying to expand trade to increase our abilities as a Port and provide more jobs for the local community. But, we are in competition with other Ports who transport the same waste bales generated across the UK. We must be able to compete with these Ports or jobs will be lost to those areas that are able to deliver the services needed in today’s society.

“We are ultimately trying to raise Pembroke Port’s profile in the industry so that it is recognised, in its own right, as a port that has the capacity and capability to handle a variety of trades. When speaking with colleagues in the industry about Pembroke Port, it is clear that its profile has been overshadowed by Milford Haven’s reputation as a well-regarded oil and gas port. The more trades we can attract to Pembroke Port, bearing in mind there are limitations due to our location and hinterland, the more opportunities we will have to promote what the Port can offer.”

CLARIFICATION FROM COUNTY COUNCIL

A spokesman for Pembrokeshire County Council said: “Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC) would like to clarify the following facts surrounding this proposal and permit application by the Port Authority.

“Pembrokeshire County Council has had no involvement with the application, the proposed activities will not involve waste collected by Pembrokeshire County Council, and it should be noted that our residual waste is contracted to an Energy from Waste facility, in Cardiff, up until 2027.

“It is felt that the confusion may have arisen due to the fact that Pembrokeshire County Council has a Waste and Recycling Transfer Station at Gate 4, Pembroke Port. The operations and permit surrounding this facility were transferred to Pembrokeshire County Council in August 2018 following the termination of the RDF processing contract.

“Since August 2018 PCC have used the facility as a Waste Transfer Station for Dry Mixed Recycling (Orange Bags), Food Waste, Glass and Residual Waste collected in Pembrokeshire. Materials are delivered to site in recycling and refuse collection vehicles, bulked in internal designated bays before being loaded onto artic vehicles prior to onward transportation to reprocessors. No processing of materials is undertaken on site and there is no external storage of waste at this location. Since Pembrokeshire County Council took on the facility at Gate 4, and the operations within, NRW have confirmed they are happy with the current operating practices.

“We are in the process of reviewing the operations of the site and are about to submit a permit variation surrounding our operations at Gate 4 Pembroke Port. This variation is actually requesting to remove the permit activities surrounding RDF production and storage as this is not an operation which PCC are planning on undertaking in the future. All current and future plans are focused on short term bulking of material prior to onwards transportation to other facilities in Wales or the wider UK.”

Local Government

Pension divestment debate triggered but council date still unconfirmed

Published

3 hours ago

February 4, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Gaza-linked petition passes 500 signatures threshold as Pembrokeshire meeting awaited

A PETITION calling for Pembrokeshire’s public sector pension fund to divest from companies linked to Israel has passed the signature threshold required to trigger a formal council debate – but no meeting date has yet been confirmed.

The e-petition, hosted through Pembrokeshire County Council’s own system, urges the authority to press the Dyfed Pension Fund to withdraw investments from firms alleged to be “complicit with Israel’s genocide of Gaza”.

Under the council’s petitions scheme, any submission receiving more than 500 signatures must be considered by councillors at a future full council meeting.

However, at the time of publication, the item does not yet appear on the council’s online agendas and minutes portal and no specific date has been scheduled for debate.

Agendas are typically published around a week before meetings take place.

Supporters of the proposal say the move is about ethical investing and ensuring public money is not linked to conflict or alleged human rights abuses.

One campaign supporter said: “Residents don’t want their pensions invested in companies that profit from war. Councils already take ethical positions on fossil fuels and arms manufacturing – this is the same principle.”

But others argue that foreign policy issues fall outside local government’s remit and warn the move could affect pension performance.

Sharon Ross, a freelance writer who contacted The Herald ahead of the debate, said councillors should focus on local services instead.

She said: “Local issues where councillors can make a real difference – roads, schools, GP access and business support – risk being pushed aside for international politics.

“Divesting from an entire country could reduce diversification and potentially lower returns for pension holders without achieving meaningful change overseas.”

Local government pension schemes operate under fiduciary duties requiring investments to prioritise members’ financial interests. Previous legal guidance to councils across the UK has stressed that decisions must be based primarily on financial considerations.

The Herald has asked the council to confirm when the petition will be scheduled, what proportion of the pension fund might be affected, and what financial or legal advice members will receive.

Residents can monitor the authority’s “Agenda, Minutes and Decisions” webpage for the publication of the next Full Council agenda, where the item is expected to appear once formally listed.

Further updates will follow when a date is confirmed.

Crime

Shoplifting down in Wales on paper – but local retailers say reality feels different

Published

3 hours ago

February 4, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Police figures show recorded thefts falling locally, while shopkeepers and former offender describe ‘daily’ losses and low reporting rates

POLICE statistics suggest shoplifting is falling across Wales – but retailers in Pembrokeshire have told The Herald the problem remains persistent, under-reported and, in some cases, worse than ever.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show a 10% decrease in police-recorded shoplifting across Wales in the year to September. In the Dyfed-Powys Police area, which covers Pembrokeshire, recorded offences fell by 20%.

The numbers were welcomed this week by retail union Usdaw, which said the drop offered “hope” that government action on retail crime was starting to have an effect.

However, several local traders said the official figures do not reflect what they are seeing on the ground.

One Milford Haven shopkeeper, who asked not to be named, told The Herald: “We don’t always report it now. You’d spend half your day on the phone. Sometimes it’s easier just to write it off. But it’s happening all the time.”

Another said theft had become “a daily nuisance”, adding that repeat offenders often returned within days.

Under-reporting concerns

The gap between statistics and experience may be explained by the way crimes are recorded.

Police figures only count incidents that are reported and logged. Retailers say many low-value thefts go unreported due to time pressures, lack of confidence that action will follow, and the administrative burden of statements and CCTV downloads.

Usdaw’s own survey of nearly 9,500 shop workers found that more than three-quarters had experienced verbal abuse, while over half had been threatened – with many incidents linked to theft.

Former offender speaks out

The Herald also spoke to a man from Milford Haven who was recently released from prison after serving time for repeated theft offences.

He said he had spent more than two years funding a drug habit by shoplifting across Pembrokeshire and in Cardiff.

According to his account, it was possible to steal goods worth up to £1,000 a day and sell them on, and he was “rarely stopped”.

“Most of the time you just walk out,” he claimed. “Even if staff catch you, they don’t always call police. It’s not worth their time.”

He said he had been detained around 50 times during what he described as hundreds of incidents, but only about ten led to police involvement and just four resulted in court.

While his experience is anecdotal, it echoes the frustrations voiced by local businesses who believe many thefts never make it into official statistics.

Government crackdown

The issue has also been raised in Parliament.

Pembrokeshire MP Henry Tufnell has previously said he has spoken to local shop owners about the impact of retail crime and has welcomed government measures aimed at strengthening enforcement.

Labour has pledged tougher action on shoplifting, including ending the widely criticised £200 threshold that many retailers felt led to low-value thefts being deprioritised, alongside promises of more visible neighbourhood policing.

Retailers say any extra support would be welcome – but many believe rebuilding confidence that crimes will be taken seriously is key.

As one trader put it: “The stats might say it’s down. But if you’re running a small shop and losing stock every week, it doesn’t feel like it.”

Community

Princess of Wales praised for ‘skill’ during local wool mill and factory visit

Published

10 hours ago

February 3, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Royal tour shines spotlight on west Wales textile heritage and local jobs

CATHERINE, Princess of Wales was told “she’s got the skill” after trying her hand at traditional textile work during a visit to west Wales on Tuesday (Feb 3).

The royal spent the day meeting staff and apprentices at two well-known manufacturers – Melin Tregwynt in Pembrokeshire and Hiut Denim in Cardigan – highlighting the region’s long-standing reputation for craftsmanship and small-scale, high-quality production.

Stitching and mending at historic mill

At Melin Tregwynt, a family-run woollen mill that now operates as an employee-owned trust, the princess was guided through each stage of production, from weaving to finishing.

In the quality control room she was invited to mend a blanket using a needle and thread, carefully repairing the fabric under the watchful eye of experienced staff.

Paula Harding, who has worked at the mill for more than a decade, praised her technique, saying: “She did it right – and she didn’t go through the other side. That’s skill. She’s got the skill.”

Laughing, the princess told workers: “You make it look so easy,” adding that the craft was clearly “a labour of love”.

She asked questions about the history of the business, which has produced Welsh-designed blankets and throws for more than a century, and spoke with several generations of the same families who have worked at the mill.

‘Made in Wales’ denim

Later, the princess travelled to Hiut Denim, the Cardigan-based firm credited with bringing jeans manufacturing back to the town after large factories closed in the early 2000s.

The company now focuses on small-batch, premium denim and employs skilled cutters and machinists locally.

During a tour of the factory floor, the princess tried cutting out a pair of jeans and helped stitch a “Made in Wales” label onto a finished pair that staff said would be presented to the Prince of Wales.

“He will love those,” she replied.

She joked that there was “no pressure” when handed the cutting tools and said she enjoys making clothes herself, admitting the most adventurous project she had attempted was sewing a pair of pyjamas.

The royal also stopped to greet Barney, the factory’s English cocker spaniel, drawing smiles from staff.

Meeting well-wishers

Crowds gathered outside both sites to catch a glimpse of the visitor, with the princess spending time chatting with families and children before moving on.

The visit forms part of ongoing efforts by the royal household to showcase traditional industries and skilled manufacturing across the UK, with west Wales’ textile sector recognised as a key part of the region’s heritage and economy.

For workers at both businesses, the message was simple: the spotlight on locally made products and homegrown skills was just as important as the royal presence itself.