Author: Rhys Gregory

An Aberdare man has been handed a suspended prison sentence at Merthyr Crown Court after he admitted causing unnecessary suffering after failing to treat his dog’s “extensive and severe” injuries. Ryan Chad Warner of Cwmaman, Aberdare, pleaded guilty to one offence of causing unnecessary suffering to a black and white male Patterdale type terrier called Grafter. Warner failed to provide proper and necessary veterinary care and attention for Grafter’s serious injuries. The case was heard at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates Court on 31 August and then referred to Merthyr Crown Court on Friday 7 October where Warner was sentenced to 12…

Wales’ first female professor is to be honoured with a new park in Cardiff. Born in 1863, Professor Millicent Mackenzie was a professor of education at the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire (now Cardiff University) from 1910-1915. She also campaigned for women’s rights, founding the Cardiff branch of the Suffragettes, and went on to become Wales’s first female parliamentary candidate, the only woman standing at the 1918 general election. A pioneering voice in the women’s rights movement, highlighting the importance of women’s participation in academic and political spheres, Professor Mackenzie was also a driving force in the early…

It’s that time of year again, the temperatures are dropping, the nights are drawing in … and Swansea’s Waterfront Winterland is back for 2022, as Museum Park once again transforms into a festive wonderland. Brand new for 2022, students and families can buy site wristbands, offering substantial savings on their experience. The student package includes skating, an adult meal and choice of beer, small wine, or mulled wine, with a total saving of £6. The family package offers two adults and two children, or one adult and three children, a saving of £18 on skating for four, one or two…

A rogue builder who continued to carry out shoddy work after appearing in court has started a 10 month prison sentence. Scott Keane, of Milford Haven, appeared at Swansea Crown Court on Thursday October 6th in a case brought by Pembrokeshire County Council’s Trading Standards team. Keane, aged 42, had previously admitted six charges under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations and appeared last week for sentencing. The charges related to the poor replacement of a flat roof with a fibre glass roof in April 2021 and the removal of a chimney in July this year. Both examples of…

Enforcement powers have been enhanced in the Caerphilly county borough, thanks to endorsement by the Council’s Cabinet. During a meeting held on 5th October, Cabinet members approved additional powers for officers within the Council’s Public Protection Division under the following Acts of Parliament, in order to enforce the legislation and carry out their duties in relation to the following: Offensive Weapons Act 2019 – this includes new legislative measures to control the sale of knives and corrosive products, and introduces new offences relating to their possession and use. The Act creates a new criminal offence of selling a corrosive product…

A new scheme to help tackle fuel poverty in Powys has been approved by Cabinet, the county council has said. ECO4 Flex will be relaunched by Powys County Council after the grant scheme was approved by Cabinet on Tuesday, 11 October. The scheme will enable home energy improvements to be delivered to Powys residents in fuel poverty. Delivery of the new and improved scheme will again be delivered on behalf of the council by Warm Wales, a community interest company specialising in delivery of programmes designed to address fuel poverty in Wales. Warm Wales will provide a fully managed scheme,…

Work on a new social housing development in north Powys has been completed, the county council has said. Powys County Council’s Affordable Housing Team has developed 22 new homes on the former livestock market in Llanidloes.  The development, which has been named Clos-Yr-Hen-Ysgol, was built by contractors J Harper and Sons (Leominster) Ltd. As part of the development, two four-bed houses, four two-bed houses, six three-bed houses, eight two-bed bungalows and two three/four-bed dormer bungalows have been built at the Gorn Road site The £3.9m development, which will be owned and managed by the council, will provide much-needed accommodation that…

A Welshpool company which has invested £5 million in state-of-the-art machinery to create 50 new jobs in the coming years has been named Powys Business of the Year. Wipak UK Ltd, based at the town’s Buttington Cross Enterprise Park, collected the coveted overall award, sponsored by Powys County Council, at the Powys Business Awards 2022 held at Dering Lines, Brecon on Friday night. The company, which makes sophisticated, high barrier packaging films for preserving and protecting food products, also won the People Development Award, sponsored by NPTC Group of Colleges. Wipak UK Ltd, which has a turnover approaching £30 million and 107…

First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford will meet Ireland’s Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney at the second meeting of the Wales-Ireland Forum. The two-day event in Dublin and Cork will include discussions on the cost-of-living crisis with Ministers sharing their approaches to supporting people during this challenging time. Climate change and renewable energy will also feature prominently in the talks. Offshore wind is seen by both governments as a significant opportunity to improve energy security. Discussions will also centre around ports and border control as the Welsh Government works to find practical solutions to the many challenges presented by Brexit.…

Children at Durand Primary School, in Caldicot, were excited to tell the Deputy Minister for Climate Change, with a responsibility for transport, Lee Waters, how the new 20mph speed limit in their town has given them more freedom to walk, cycle or scoot to school, when he visited their school earlier this week. Caldicot, in Monmouthshire, was one of the communities chosen to take part in phase one of the programme to lower the default national speed limit on residential roads and busy pedestrian streets from 30mph to 20mph. The rest of Wales will follow in its footsteps from September…