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Council staff and contractors thanked for efforts over stormy weekend

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PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL staff and contractors who worked tirelessly to keep County residents safe over a stormy weekend have been thanked for their efforts.

Storms Eunice and Franklin caused widespread disruption across Pembrokeshire with fallen trees, blocked roads, damage to buildings and power outages.

Council staff and contractors worked from the early hours of Friday morning until late on Sunday evening – in some awful conditions – responding to some of the more than 1,200 calls received across the weekend.

Crews were then back out on Monday morning.

County Council Leader Cllr David Simpson and Chief Executive Will Bramble paid tribute to the efforts of everyone involved.

They said: “We would like to say a big thank you to all Pembrokeshire County Council staff, contractors and our partner agencies for going above and beyond throughout what was an extremely busy weekend.

“The teams out on the ground deserve special mention for the incredible shift they all put in, in the face of some extremely inhospitable conditions.

“They were ably supported by our colleagues taking the calls in our contact centre, the team in our Incident Management Centre and all departments across the Council co-ordinating their individual responses.

“We would also like to thank the public for the kind words received about the efforts of Council staff and contractors throughout the weekend. These messages have been collected and will be shared with the teams.”

The Council’s Contact Centre opened at 7am on Friday to be ready for what was expected to be the worst storm in many years.

On Friday the Contact Centre received more than 1,000 calls relating to Storm Eunice including 272 incidents on the County’s highways.

A further 68 emergency calls were received on Saturday morning, with the majority relating to housing repairs and highways.

Between Friday and Sunday night there were 218 building maintenance emergency requests and more than a dozen requests for dangerous structures to be assessed.

The Council kept residents up to date via social media, with 108 posts on Storm Eunice, plus 16 in-depth situation reports across the weekend.

More than 1,500 messages about the storms were received with people informing the Council of incidents near them.

Throughout the weekend the Cleddau Bridge was closed to high sided vehicles for more than 36 hours in total and was closed to all vehicles for five hours on Friday.

On Monday afternoon crews continued to deal with trees blocking highways and rights of way.

Members of the public are asked for their patience as teams work through the remaining calls and issues.

 

Community

New town map unveiled in Fishguard

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A NEW town map has been installed in the heart of Fishguard to help residents and visitors discover more of what the area has to offer.

The map, created by Visit Fishguard & Goodwick’s in-house graphic designer, has been placed on the Abergwaun Hotel tunnel, near Offshore Surfwear’s new shop.

The group said it was “incredibly proud” of the finished result and thanked the building owner for allowing the map to be installed on the premises.

Visit Fishguard & Goodwick is now hoping to create a similar map for Goodwick and is asking for help from a centrally located building owner who may be willing to host it.

Anyone who can help, or knows of a suitable location, is being asked to get in touch with Visit Fishguard & Goodwick.

 

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Community

Tenby Summer Spectacular cancelled amid council row over harbour access

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Organisers say popular charity events cannot safely go ahead without clear powers to control crowds

TENBY ROUND TABLE has announced that this summer’s Tenby Summer Spectacular events have been cancelled until further notice amid a dispute with Pembrokeshire County Council over crowd control at the harbour.

The events, which were due to take place on Sunday, August 16 and Sunday, August 30, have been a major feature of Tenby’s summer calendar for decades, drawing large crowds to the harbour for entertainment, food, drink and fireworks.

In a statement, Tenby Round Table said the decision had been made “with enormous sadness” and claimed it had been forced on organisers because of unresolved issues over the safe management of pedestrian access.

The organisation said it needed the council’s Public Realm department to use statutory powers to temporarily restrict pedestrian access through the event area when capacity is reached.

Organisers said the matter had first been raised with the council in September 2025 and again formally in writing in May 2026.

They said volunteers had attended meetings, commissioned professional health and safety consultants and worked on Event Management Plans, but claimed the council had still not provided a clear answer.

Tenby Round Table said: “PCC’s Public Realm department has had nine months to answer one question on safe and controlled access to the harbour. It has not done so.”

The group also alleged that recent written responses from the council contained factual inaccuracies and misleading statements about the relevant legislation.

It added that the council’s legal advice was understood to be provisional and still under internal review.

The cancellation is currently described as provisional, with organisers giving the council a final deadline of June 25 to provide what they describe as a clear, accurate and legally grounded answer.

Tenby Round Table said that if this is provided, it will do everything possible to reinstate the events.

The group said the Summer Spectacular had raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for local charities, sports teams, community groups and worthy individuals since it began.

It said the cancellation would be a devastating blow to those who benefit from the funds raised.

The statement added that organisers are still working with Dyfed-Powys Police and other relevant authorities ahead of a council licensing committee meeting in July, which is expected to consider whether the event licence should be renewed, amended or withdrawn.

The Herald has asked Pembrokeshire County Council for comment.

 

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Charity

Sea shanties and street food bring crowds to Cardigan RNLI festival

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SUNSHINE, sea shanties and street food helped draw hundreds of visitors to Cardigan RNLI Lifeboat Station on Saturday (Jun 20).

The station’s Sea Shanty and Street Food Festival brought together families, supporters and visitors from across the region for a day of maritime music, food and community spirit.

Traditional sea shanty groups performed throughout the event, with songs echoing around the lifeboat station, while street food vendors served a range of refreshments.

The event also gave visitors the chance to learn more about the lifesaving work carried out by the RNLI and its volunteer crews.

Cardigan RNLI thanked the performers, food vendors, volunteers, sponsors and supporters who helped make the day a success.

Bruce Harris, Launch Authority and event organiser, said: “It was wonderful to see so many people come together to support the station, enjoy the entertainment, and celebrate our maritime heritage.

“The atmosphere throughout the day was fantastic, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who attended, performed, volunteered, and contributed to such a memorable event.”

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts.

The charity operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands.

Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved more than 146,700 lives.

 

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