Major air and sea rescue launched as coastguard, lifeboat and helicopters scramble to Pembrokeshire cliffs

A PERSON has died and two others have been injured following a climbing incident at St Govan’s Head on the Pembrokeshire coast.

A major multi-agency rescue operation was launched on Thursday afternoon after concerns were raised for the welfare of three climbers near the cliffs.

Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed one casualty was pronounced dead at the scene, while two others were taken to hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening.

A police spokesman said: “Dyfed-Powys Police were contacted by the ambulance service around 4.25pm, Thursday February 12, reporting concerns for the welfare of three individuals at St Govan’s Head, Pembrokeshire.

“Officers were deployed to the location alongside multiple other agencies.

“Two were taken to hospital for treatment for injuries not believed to be life threatening. Sadly, one person was pronounced dead at the scene.”

The force added the death is not being treated as suspicious and the person’s next of kin have been informed.

Earlier, witnesses reported a significant emergency presence along the coastline, with multiple helicopters seen overhead and the Angle all-weather lifeboat operating offshore.

A spokesman for HM Coastguard said the alarm was first raised at about 4:00pm.

Teams from Fishguard, St Govan’s and Tenby were sent, alongside an HM Coastguard helicopter, an Irish Coastguard helicopter, Wales Air Ambulance and an RNLI lifeboat from RNLI’s Angle station.

St Govan’s Head, within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, is a popular but exposed climbing and walking location known for steep limestone cliffs and strong seas.

Photo caption: Rescue response at St Govan’s Head during Thursday’s incident

LEE SLOCOMBE, 33, previously of Delhi Street, Swansea has been sent back to prison for six years for a £400,000 fraud against nine victims, following dangerous building work he carried out at properties in Cardiff, Bridgend and Swansea.

The total loss to his victims was calculated at least £547,000, after considering the costs incurred to rectify the dangerous work he carried out.

On 20^th October 2025, Slocombe pleaded guilty to two charges of participating in a fraudulent business between March 2021 and May 2023. One charge was brought directly against him, with a further charge against his company, LSP Developments. Slocombe was on Crown Court bail when these offences were committed.

In sentencing, on 11^th February 2026 Cardiff Crown Court heard that Slocombe targeted nine people seeking work to be carried out at their properties, ranging from rendering a shed to building a two‑storey extension. The work was completed to an appalling standard, with Slocombe often convincing his victims that work was required when it was not. He frequently left work incomplete, leaving victims with significant restoration bills.

His actions caused significant financial hardship to his victims, who were forced to take out loans and overdrafts and, in some instances, withdraw money from their pension pots to rectify the poor‑quality work he had carried out. Some of the victims were elderly and vulnerable.

The court heard that Slocombe has previous convictions for fraud dating from 2015 to 2023, during which time he was sent to prison on two occasions. In 2015, he was jailed for 43 months for three offences of fraud, and in 2023 he received a sentence of five years and five months after defrauding seven families of £150,000 through similar sub‑standard building work.

Slocombe was made subject to a Criminal Behaviour Order, banning him from carrying out building, maintenance or gardening work in the UK for life. He was also disqualified from being a company director until 2031.

Given his previous dishonesty, Slocombe used a false name when dealing with customers, calling himself Lee Lewis, to prevent them from discovering his previous convictions for similar offences.

At Cardiff Crown Court, His Honour Judge Felstead described Slocombe as a persistent rogue builder who operated dishonestly. The judge said Slocombe falsely escalated costs and that any work he did carry out was to an “appalling standard”, with some homes being “virtually destroyed”.

In two cases, Slocombe brought a fake and unqualified gas engineer to carry out work at properties, leaving them in a “potentially lethal state”. In one instance, carbon monoxide leaked into a property where a 10‑month‑old child was living.

Cllr Norma Mackie, Cabinet Member responsible for Shared Regulatory Services at Cardiff Council, said: “Lee Slocombe caused immense misery to his victims, carrying out sub‑standard work and leaving some properties in such a state of disrepair that they were open to the elements, not watertight and simply dangerous. The stress he caused is unimaginable, and he deserves to be sent directly back to prison.

“I would like to thank all the staff who enabled us to bring this case to court. Hopefully, this outcome provides some closure for the victims, knowing that he is where he belongs – back behind bars.”

Estyn orders urgent action plan and regular monitoring at Pembroke secondary

A PEMBROKESHIRE secondary school has been placed into special measures after inspectors identified safeguarding concerns, weak leadership and inconsistent teaching standards.

Inspectors from Estyn, Wales’ education watchdog, concluded that Ysgol Harri Tudur/Henry Tudor School requires the highest level of intervention following an inspection in December 2025.

In its report, Estyn said that while leaders and staff “strive to provide pupils with a caring environment”, serious shortcomings mean too many pupils are not making enough progress and important aspects of the school’s work are not effective.

The watchdog formally stated that “special measures are required in relation to this school”, meaning the school must now produce an action plan and will be monitored by inspectors every four to six months.

Teaching and learning concerns

Inspectors found that progress across the school is inconsistent.

Around half of lessons were judged to support appropriate progress. However, in a similar proportion, weaknesses such as low expectations, poor planning, ineffective questioning and weak behaviour management were said to restrict learning.

Teachers were criticised in some cases for setting undemanding tasks that “keep pupils busy rather than challenging them to learn”, with pupils becoming passive and over-reliant on staff support.

A minority of pupils were also reported to disrupt lessons through defiant behaviour.

The report added that provision to develop literacy, numeracy, digital and Welsh language skills across subjects is underdeveloped, leaving pupils without enough meaningful opportunities to build core skills.

Safeguarding issues identified

Safeguarding was a key concern.

Although leaders were said to promote a culture of care and staff receive regular training, inspectors identified “several aspects of the school’s approach to safeguarding that raised concerns”.

Staff had not been given correct guidance on how to deal with allegations against members of staff, and there was insufficient information on recognising risks linked to radicalisation.

A minority of pupils who responded to surveys said they feel unsafe in school, while some told inspectors they are reluctant to report bullying because they feel it is not always dealt with effectively.

Estyn has made addressing safeguarding issues its first formal recommendation.

Attendance well below average

Attendance has also deteriorated.

The report said overall attendance has declined over the past three years and remains well below both similar schools and pre-pandemic levels.

Persistent absence rates are higher than average, and attendance among pupils eligible for free school meals is significantly worse than national comparisons.

Inspectors also found that attendance coding is sometimes inaccurate, meaning leaders do not always have a clear picture of the true situation.

Leadership and accountability criticised

Leadership and governance were judged to have had “little impact on several important aspects of the school’s work”.

Inspectors said self-evaluation and improvement planning lack rigour, and that leaders do not evaluate teaching precisely enough to drive improvement.

Staff are not held robustly accountable, and middle leaders are not sufficiently challenged or supported.

Governors were described as supportive but not consistently challenging enough on key issues such as teaching quality.

The school is also operating with a large budget deficit and does not yet have an agreed recovery plan.

Recommendations and next steps

Estyn has issued six recommendations, including:

• Address safeguarding issues
• Improve teaching quality
• Strengthen leadership and accountability
• Raise attendance
• Improve curriculum provision for key skills

Under special measures, the school must now produce a formal action plan showing how it will address these failings.

Estyn will revisit regularly to assess progress.

Special measures are the most serious category an inspection can apply and are only used when inspectors believe a school cannot improve quickly enough without external support and close monitoring.

Despite the concerns, inspectors did highlight some positives, including caring staff relationships, useful support for vulnerable pupils, a broad range of vocational courses, and worthwhile extra-curricular opportunities.

However, the overall judgement makes clear that significant improvement is needed.

The Herald has approached the school and Pembrokeshire County Council for comment.