News

Regulator investigting reports of pollution in River Cleddau

Published

2 years ago

June 21, 2023

REPORTS that serious pollution outfalls are causing widespread ecological damage along stretches of the Western Cleddau have prompted major investigations by Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

The announcement was made this week by NRW operations manager, Caroline Drayton.

“We’re aware of multiple concerns concerning pollution incidents and following reports to our incident line, officers have attended the site to investigate,” she commented.

“Our investigations are ongoing and we are checking with nearby permit holders to determine whether they are operating within their permit conditions.”

Ms Drayton went on to say that if any irregularities are found, further action will be taken against the individuals or contractors responsible.

“We take our role as an environmental regulator seriously, and wherever any non-compliance is found, we will take further action to ensure permits are complied with effectively,” she said.

“We are committed to improving the condition of all our rivers and we use all evidence to improve our understanding of the issues facing them including information provided by members of the public.

“We’ve made great strides in recent years working with others to tackle the issues that impact on the river environment, and we will continue to work together with farmers, agricultural bodies, anglers, regulators, water companies, conservationists, and Welsh Government to build on the progress made.”

Ms Drayton’s comments were made following local media reports identifying two alleged pollution outfall pipes that enter the river at The Fortune’s Frolic just off Clay Lane in Haverfordwedst.

One discharges sewage while the other discharges effluent waste from the First Milk creamery treatment plant in Merlin’s Bridge.

The banks around the pipes are covered by a reddish-brown sediment which, when touched, appears to have a dense, mousse-like texture.

Stones which were once smooth and clear are now covered in a brown, slimy blanket weed which feeds off the alleged high level of phosphates that are in the water.

As a result, this kills all the natural plants that the fish feed on.

Also affected are insects, fish eggs that are unable to hatch as they don’t have enough oxygen to survive, mammals, and birds.

“The Cleddau River has turned into the Cleddau Sewer,” said concerned resident and long-time campaigner Simon Walters.

“The river has become toxic and the wildlife that we once had as a barometer is showing us the damage of what’s been happening for far too long. The river is dead.

“A few years ago, we used to dig here for ragworm for bait, but it’s now disappeared, and the only fish we see are mullet. Everything else has virtually gone.

“As a result of what’s coming out of those pipes, we’re destroying the whole ecosystem here on the Cleddau, which is a SSSI.”

Welsh Water has also been asked to comment on the latest pollution concerns.

In the House of Commons back in April, Preseli Pembrokeshire MP accused Labour of using the issue of sewage as a “political football” and called on the Welsh Government to act on the alarming levels of sewage discharges in Wales.

During the debate numerous MPs referred to the fact that Wales is one of the worst affected areas in the UK, with the Welsh Government yet to come forward with any detailed plans to tackle the problem of discharges into rivers and coastal waters.

In his speech, the MP voiced his support for stronger regulation of water companies and tougher penalties over pollution incidents. He welcomed the “very clear and practical plan” introduced by the UK Government in England as a step forward on tackling sewage.

Mr Crabb stated, “This is an issue that really matters to me and it matters to my constituents in Pembrokeshire. My constituency in 2021 had 79,000 hours of sewage discharged during the course of the year. It is totally unacceptable.”

During his speech Mr Crabb also paid tribute to local campaigners including Surfers Against Sewage who have been campaigning on this issue in the constituency for nearly 30 years.

Speaking after the debate Stephen Crabb MP told The Pembrokeshire Herald: “In England there is now a plan for reducing discharges and for tougher monitoring and regulation of the water companies. That is the kind of action we need in Wales. It is clear that public opinion has shifted on the issue of sewage and there is a clamour for real change. This historic practice of discharging sewage into waters is no longer acceptable and requires all governments across the UK to step up and work together. Wales’ sewerage system is old and under enormous pressure from increased rainfall: it needs to be made fit for purpose. Unfortunately, I am not convinced that there is an urgent plan to make crucial infrastructure upgrades and that the Welsh Labour Government has woken up to public feeling on this unpleasant issue.”

As Chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee in Parliament, Stephen brought together Welsh Water, Natural Resources Wales and the regulator Ofwat to examine the problem of sewage in Wales.

The evidence hearing highlighted the need for a clear plan in Wales to reduce the volumes of sewage being pumped into open waters. He has written again to call on the Climate Change Minister at the Welsh Government to address these problems and do more to protect Welsh rivers and coasts. He is currently waiting for a response from the Welsh Government.

Crime

Swansea man dies weeks after release from troubled HMP Parc: Investigation launched

Published

8 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A SWANSEA man has died just weeks after being released from HMP Parc, the Bridgend prison now at the centre of a national crisis over inmate deaths and post-release failures.

Darren Thomas, aged 52, died on 13 November 2025 — less than a month after leaving custody. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) has confirmed an independent investigation into his death, which is currently listed as “in progress”.

Born on 9 April 1973, Mr Thomas had been under post-release supervision following a period at HMP/YOI Parc, the G4S-run prison that recorded seventeen deaths in custody in 2024 — the highest in the UK.

His last known legal appearance was at Swansea Crown Court in October 2024, where he stood trial accused of making a threatening phone call and two counts of criminal damage. During the hearing, reported by The Pembrokeshire Herald at the time, the court heard he made threats during a heated call on 5 October 2023.

Mr Thomas denied the allegations but was found guilty on all counts. He was sentenced to a custodial term, which led to his imprisonment at HMP Parc.

Parc: A prison in breakdown

HMP Parc has faced sustained criticism throughout 2024 and 2025. A damning unannounced inspection in January found:

Severe self-harm incidents up 190%
Violence against staff up 109%
Synthetic drugs “easily accessible” across wings
Overcrowding at 108% capacity

In the first three months of 2024 alone, ten men died at Parc — part of a wider cluster of twenty PPO-investigated deaths since 2022. Six occurred within three weeks, all linked to synthetic drug use.

Leaked staff messages in 2025 exposed a culture of indifference, including one officer writing: “Let’s push him to go tomorrow so we can drop him.”

Six G4S employees have been arrested since 2023 in connection with alleged assaults and misconduct.

The danger after release

Deaths shortly after release from custody are a growing national concern. Ministry of Justice data shows 620 people died while under community supervision in 2024–2025, with 62 deaths occurring within 14 days of release.

Short sentences — common at Parc — leave little time for effective rehabilitation or release planning. Homelessness, loss of drug tolerance and untreated mental-health conditions create a high-risk environment for those newly released.

The PPO investigates all such deaths to determine whether prisons or probation failed in their duties. Reports often take 6–12 months and can lead to recommendations.

A system at breaking point

The crisis at Parc reflects wider failures across UK prisons and probation. A July 2025 House of Lords report described the service as “not fit for purpose”. More than 500 people die in custody annually, with campaigners warning that private prisons such as Parc prioritise cost-cutting over care.

The PPO investigation into the death of Darren Thomas continues.

Crime

Woman stabbed partner in Haverfordwest before handing herself in

Published

9 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Court Reporter

A WOMAN who stabbed her partner during a drug-fuelled episode walked straight into Haverfordwest Police Station and told officers what she had done, Swansea Crown Court has heard.

Amy Woolston, 22, of Dartmouth Street in Milford Haven, arrived at the station at around 8:00pm on June 13 and said: “I stabbed my ex-partner earlier… he’s alright and he let me walk off,” prosecutor Tom Scapens told the court.

The pair had taken acid together earlier in the day, and Woolston claimed she believed she could feel “stab marks in her back” before the incident.

Police find victim with four wounds

Officers went to the victim’s home to check on him. He was not there at first, but returned shortly afterwards. He appeared sober and told police: “Just a couple of things,” before pointing to injuries on his back.

He had three stab or puncture wounds to his back and another to his bicep.

The victim said that when he arrived home from the shop, Woolston was acting “a bit shifty”. After asking if she was alright, she grabbed something from the windowsill — described as either a knife or a shard of glass — and stabbed him.

He told officers he had “had worse from her before”, did not support a prosecution, and refused to go to hospital.

Defendant has long history of violence

Woolston pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding. The court heard she had amassed 20 previous convictions from 10 court appearances, including assaults, battery, and offences against emergency workers.

Defending, Dyfed Thomas said Woolston had longstanding mental health problems and had been off medication prescribed for paranoid schizophrenia at the time.
“She’s had a difficult upbringing,” he added, saying she was remorseful and now compliant with treatment.

Woolston was jailed for 12 months, but the court heard she has already served the equivalent time on remand and will be released imminently on a 12-month licence.

News

BBC apologises to Herald’s editor for inaccurate story

Published

10 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Staff Writer

THE BBC has issued a formal apology and amended a six-year-old article written by BBC Wales Business Correspondent Huw Thomas after its Executive Complaints Unit ruled that the original headline and wording gave an “incorrect impression” that Herald editor Tom Sinclair was personally liable for tens of thousands of pounds in debt.

The 2019 report, originally headlined “Herald newspaper editor Tom Sinclair has £70,000 debts”, has now been changed.

The ECU found: “The wording of the article and its headline could have led readers to form the incorrect impression that the debt was Mr Sinclair’s personal responsibility… In that respect the article failed to meet the BBC’s standards of due accuracy.”

Mr Sinclair said: “I’m grateful to the ECU for the apology and for correcting the personal-liability impression that caused real harm for six years. However, the article still links the debts to ‘the group which publishes The Herald’ when in fact they related to printing companies that were dissolved two years before the Herald was founded in 2013. I have asked the BBC to add that final clarification so the record is completely accurate.”

A formal apology and correction of this kind from the BBC is extremely rare, especially for a story more than six years old.