News

Pembrokeshire oil rig worker admits drink-driving on A40

Published

1 year ago

June 5, 2024

A PEMBROKESHIRE oil rig worker has appeared before magistrates after driving from Gatwick airport to his home in Pembrokeshire despite being over the drink-drive limit.

Stuart Owen, 46, had reached Robeston Wathen at around 11 pm on April 17 when he collided with an oncoming vehicle.

“Despite the collision, the defendant made off from the scene,” Crown Prosecutor Abigail Jackson told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.

“Police were dispatched and they discovered the vehicle being driven by the defendant.”

Officers carried out a roadside breath test which proved positive and Owen was taken to a police custody suite where further breath tests showed he had 57 mcg of alcohol in his system. The legal limit is 35.

Owen pleaded guilty to the charge of drink-driving and was legally represented by solicitor Mr Regan Walters. Mr Walters informed the court that Owen’s alcohol consumption escalated to ‘an unmanageable’ level since leaving the armed forces, where he served for six years with postings in Bosnia, Iraq and Germany.

“As a result, he suffers from depression and takes alcohol to address it,” said Mr Walters, in mitigation.

“This has crept into his life and he recognises that when he begins to consume alcohol, he simply can’t control it. It’s become a hindrance, and has got to the point where it’s now unmanageable.”

Mr Walters said that on the day in question, Stuart Owen had flown from Aberdeen to Gatwick airport where he’d collected a hired car which he then proceeded to drive to his home in Gwili Road, Hakin.

“He bought some food, some soft drinks and some alcohol, but there’d been an on-going argument with his wife and this acted as a trigger. He decided to pull off the motorway, turn off the ignition and drink the alcohol before trying to sleep. But he failed [to sleep], and decided to drive home.”

Mr Walters went on to say that Owen was recently referred to the VC Gallery which assists army veterans who are suffering from post traumatic stress disorders. He also engages with Alcoholics Anonymous approximately four times a week.

“These sessions are helping him to understand why he turns to alcohol,” he said.

The court heard that in 2019 Owen re-trained as a production technician, working on off-shore oil rigs where he carries out checks on pumps, compressors and valves.

“This is a high pressure placement because if he makes an error, it would lead to whichever rig he’s working on being shut down,” said Mr Walters.

Owens’s employment results in him driving approximately 10,000 miles a year to various UK airports from where he catches helicopters that fly him to the oil rigs.

“He will now have to explore public transport,” added Mr Walters.

After considering the mitigation, magistrates fined Owen £923. He was ordered to pay a £369 court surcharge and £85 costs. He was disqualified from driving for 15 months.

Business

First wind turbine components arrive as LNG project moves ahead

Published

2 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE FIRST ship carrying major components for Dragon LNG’s new onshore wind turbines docked at Pembroke Port yesterday afternoon, marking the start of physical deliveries for the multi-million-pound renewable energy project.

The Maltese-registered general cargo vessel Peak Bergen berthed at Pembroke Dock shortly after 4pm on Wednesday, bringing tower sections and other heavy components for the three Enercon turbines that will eventually stand on land adjacent to the existing gas terminal at Waterston.

A second vessel, the Irish-flagged Wilson Flex IV, is due to arrive in the early hours of this morning (Thursday) carrying the giant rotor blades.

The deliveries follow a successful trial convoy on 25 November, when police-escorted low-loader trailers carried dummy loads along the planned route from the port through Pembroke, past Waterloo roundabout and up the A477 to the Dragon LNG site.

Dragon LNG’s Community and Social Performance Officer, Lynette Round, confirmed the latest movements in emails to the Herald.

“The Peak Bergen arrived yesterday with the first components,” she said. “We are expecting another delivery tomorrow (Thursday) onboard the Wilson Flex IV. This will be blades and is currently showing an ETA of approximately 03:30.”

The £14.3 million project, approved by Welsh Ministers last year, will see three turbines with a combined capacity of up to 13.5 MW erected on company-owned land next to the LNG terminal. Once operational – expected in late 2026 – they will generate enough electricity to power the entire site, significantly reducing its carbon footprint.

Port of Milford Haven shipping movements showed the Peak Bergen approaching the Haven throughout Wednesday morning before finally tying up at the cargo berth in Pembroke Dock. Cranes began unloading operations yesterday evening.

Weather conditions are currently favourable for this morning’s arrival of the Wilson Flex IV, which was tracking south of the Smalls at midnight.

The abnormal-load convoys carrying the components from the port to Waterston are expected to begin next week, subject to final police and highway approvals.

A community benefit fund linked to the project will provide training opportunities and energy-bill support for residents in nearby Waterston, Llanstadwell and Neyland.

Further updates will be issued by Dragon LNG as the Port of Milford Haven as the delivery programme continues.

Photo: Martin Cavaney

Crime

Banned for 40 months after driving with cocaine breakdown product in blood

Published

2 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Sarah-Jane Absalom

A MILFORD HAVEN woman has been handed a lengthy driving ban after admitting driving with a controlled drug in her system more than ten times over the legal limit.

SENTENCED AT HAVERFORDWEST

Sally Allen, 43, of Wentworth Close, Hubberston, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (Dec 4) for sentencing, having pleaded guilty on November 25 to driving with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the prescribed limit.

The court heard that Allen was stopped on August 25 on the Old Hakin Road at Tiers Cross while driving an Audi A3. Blood analysis showed 509µg/l of Benzoylecgonine, a breakdown product of cocaine. The legal limit is 50µg/l.

COMMUNITY ORDER AND REHABILITATION

Magistrates imposed a 40-month driving ban, backdated to her interim disqualification which began on November 25.

Allen was also handed a 12-month community order, requiring her to complete 10 days of rehabilitation activities as directed by the Probation Service.

She was fined £120, ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £114 surcharge. Her financial penalties will be paid in £25 monthly instalments from January 1, 2026.

The bench—Mrs H Roberts, Mr M Shankland and Mrs J Morris—said her guilty plea had been taken into account when passing sentence.

Local Government

Sewage leak at Pembroke Commons prompts urgent clean-up works

Published

4 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Council pollution officers say they have no enforcement powers over Welsh Water infrastructure

SEWAGE contamination on the Commons in Pembroke has prompted an urgent response from pollution officers, after a leak was reported by a member of the public on Tuesday.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s Pollution Control Team confirmed they were alerted yesterday afternoon to sewage surrounding a manhole cover on the site. The Herald understands that officers immediately notified Welsh Water (DCWW) network technicians to investigate the incident “as a matter of urgency”.

County councillor Jonathan Grimes, who represents Pembroke St Mary South and Monkton, said the authority had been clear that it holds no enforcement powers over Welsh Water assets.

“Whilst we work constructively with Welsh Water, we have no authority to intervene on their apparatus or to carry out enforcement action against them for such pollution incidents,” the Pollution Control Team said in a statement shared with the councillor.

Urgent works underway

Council officers visited the site on Wednesday morning alongside contractors and Welsh Water technicians to assess clean-up options. According to the team, works will include cleaning the contaminated ground in and around the manhole cover and fencing off the affected area “until safe”.

Cllr Grimes said officers would return to the scene on Thursday to check on progress and ensure the area is properly secured.

Residents who notice any further issues have been urged to contact the Pollution Control Team directly.

Further updates are expected later this week.