TRAFFIC was disrupted yesterday (Jan 7) after multiple loose horses were spotted on Lower Lamphey Road, Pembroke. Motorists and pedestrians were urged to approach the area with caution as the horses roamed freely on the road and nearby residential areas, causing delays and raising safety concerns.

Pembrokeshire County Council recently announced that it has teamed up with Dyfed-Powys Police to tackle the growing problem of horses being left on public land and highways, known as fly-grazing.

The move comes after a significant rise in incidents across the county, causing safety concerns and public disruption.

Over the Christmas period, both agencies will work collaboratively in an operational effort to address the issue.

This joint approach responds to ongoing community concerns and forms part of a wider initiative to enable partner agencies to deal more effectively with fly-grazing.

The situation comes just days after authorities announced their initiative to tackle the issue through a coordinated approach, highlighting the urgency and importance of addressing fly-grazing concerns.

Members of the public are encouraged to report any concerns about fly-grazing by contacting [email protected] or calling 01437 764551.

PEMBROKESHIRE households are facing ongoing disruption to waste collections as the county council struggles with persistent ‘resource challenges’ following the festive period.

Residents across the county have reported overflowing bins and missed collections, with the council admitting approximately five per cent of collection rounds were disrupted last week due to staff shortages, vehicle breakdowns, and an increase in waste volumes.

A council spokesperson said: “The operational issues are resulting in many households not having their waste collected on their scheduled day. We are working to rectify this as soon as possible, but resource challenges remain.”

Residents are being urged to store waste and recycling materials where possible until their next scheduled collection. The council has also promised to keep its waste and recycling disruption webpage updated with the latest information.

Despite scheduling additional resources to cope with the expected increase in waste over Christmas, the council has been unable to meet demand. Councillor Rhys Sinnett, cabinet member for residents’ services, issued an apology to those affected.

“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused to residents,” he said. “Staff have been working throughout the festive period to manage collections, but vehicle breakdowns and staff availability have significantly hampered our efforts.”

In a bid to ease the backlog, residents are permitted to place one additional black bag of waste out for collection on their first residual waste collection day after Christmas. Recycling centres remain open, but pre-booking is required.

Latest Disruption Updates:

Saturday, 4th January 2025:

• Milford Haven Area: Multiple streets, including Murray Road, Milton Crescent, Pill Lane, Warwick Road, Robert Street, and Dale Road, faced incomplete recycling collections due to resource issues. Some streets had food waste collected, while others saw partial or no recycling collections.
• St Ishmaels, Sandy Haven, Marloes, Dale, Talbenny, Hasguard, Walwyns Castle: Collections were either incomplete or missed entirely.

The council has advised affected residents to store recycling until the next scheduled collection day or take it to local recycling centres.

Friday, 3rd January 2025:

• Haverfordwest and Surrounding Areas: Key streets and neighbourhoods, including Cherry Grove, Queensway, Prendergast, Merlins Bridge, and St Thomas Green, experienced widespread disruption to recycling collections.
• Rudbaxton, Poyston Cross, and parts of Crundale: Missed recycling collections were reported, with limited recovery achieved.

The council has stated that recollection efforts will continue into the following week.

Thursday, 2nd January 2025:

• Stackpole, Manorbier, Freshwater East, Lamphey, and Monkton: Residents reported missed recycling collections, with some streets receiving food waste collection only.

Moving Forward:

The council assures residents that efforts to clear the backlog are ongoing. However, persistent resource challenges mean delays may continue.

Residents are encouraged to:

1. Store recycling where possible until the next scheduled collection.
2. Pre-book slots at local recycling centres.
3. Regularly check the council’s disruption webpage for updates.

For real-time updates on waste collections, residents are encouraged to visit the Pembrokeshire County Council website. The situation remains fluid, and further updates are expected as the council works to stabilise services.

AT 2:05pm on Monday (Jan 6), crews from Haverfordwest Fire Station responded to an incident in Merlin’s Bridge, Haverfordwest, where a Shetland pony had become stuck in a stream.

Although the pony was not in distress, the cold water posed a significant risk, and urgent intervention was required to prevent further harm.

With assistance from the RSPCA, the fire service’s animal rescue team utilised specialist equipment and their expertise to successfully free the pony from the stream. The animal was unharmed and safely returned to its owner.

The crew left the scene at 3:25pm.