Author: Rhys Gregory

A Newport food business operator was fined £5,426 after pleading guilty to serious food hygiene and safety offences. Muhammad Afzal Malik, owner of Top Up convenience store located at 163 Corporation Road, was handed the fines at a sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on 14 December. Mr Malik was also ordered to pay costs of £1,500 to the council, bringing his total amount for fines and costs to £6,936. Mr Malik will also face a two-month prison sentence should he default on the repayments. The fine followed successful enforcement action taken by Newport City Council against Mr Malik, and…

There is just a month left to respond to a consultation by Transport for Wales’ on plans for five new railway stations in South East Wales and improved cross-border train services. Members of the public have been invited to share their views as part of a 13-week consultation which will close on 14 January. Transport for Wales is looking for feedback on the designs of potential stations at Cardiff East, Newport West, Somerton, Llanwern and Magor and Undy, including the types of facilities that people would like to see at each station. The consultation is available at: tfw.wales/sew-new-stations Members of…

Quakers Yard railway station will reopen to passengers today, Monday 18 December, following infrastructure upgrade works. As part of the South Wales Metro project, Transport for Wales (TfW) has upgraded the station from a single platform to double, installed a brand-new step and ramped footbridge and installed additional railway track. The extra track and creation of a doubled railway line will allow TfW to run four trains per hour from Merthyr Tydfil into Cardiff in the near future, as electrification of the line continues. The transformation of the Core Valley Lines for the Metro has been part-funded by the European…

A strong friendship between celebrated illustrator Margaret Jones and Prendergast Community Primary School is continuing more than 20 years on. In the early 2000s, the pupils and staff of Prendergast Junior School forged a strong relationship with Margaret when they studied her fantasy book, ‘Nat’. A group of pupils met her at her home and interviewed her and during this visit, Margaret revealed that she had written a sequel to the book, but it had not been published. Keen to find out what happened next, the pupils lobbied the publisher and encouraged Margaret to release the sequel. A friendship began…

A licensed waste carrier who deposited a trailer containing more than a tonne of assorted waste at the pedestrian access to Neath’s Cwrt Herbert Playing Fields, has been ordered to pay £1200 for waste offences by Swansea Crown Court. Christian Astill, 34, of Lon Einon, Penllergaer, Swansea, was ordered to pay a £500 fine, £500 costs and £200 victim surcharge for illegally depositing controlled waste, contrary to section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 at Swansea Crown Court on the 08/12/23 after pleading guilty to the offence at Swansea Magistrates Court on the 19/10/23. The Court heard that on…

Work on the new indoor sports barn at Cefn Hengoed Community School and Leisure Centre is continuing to progress well ahead of its opening in the new year. The external shell of the building is now complete and work is underway to install the new 3G pitch inside. It is part of a £7.5m investment that also includes upgrades to the school, leisure centre and a new family engagement centre. It has been jointly funded by Swansea Council, Welsh Government, the Football Foundation, Freedom Leisure and Sports Wales, and supported by partners including the Swansea City AFC Foundation, the Football…

Residents living in Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant have an opportunity to have their say on plans for a proposed housing development in the village, Powys County Council has said. The council is looking to build 18, highly insulated and eco-friendly homes on land to the west of Maes yr Esgob. The proposed development will consist of two three-bed houses, six two-bed houses, six one-bed houses and four one-bed bungalows. A pre-application consultation has now started for the proposed development, which will run until Tuesday, January 16, 2024, to allow interested parties to comment on the plans before a planning application is submitted. If…

Dog owners in Powys who allow their pets to become a noise nuisance could face enforcement action, the county council has warned. Powys County Council’s Environmental Protection Team has issued the warning after it successfully prosecuted a north Powys resident for breaching a noise abatement notice relating to dog barking. The resident was fined £500 for breaching the abatement notice, ordered to pay £450 costs and a £200 victim surcharge by Llandrindod Wells Magistrates Court earlier this month (December). Complaints about this case first started in 2021 and following investigations by the council, an abatement notice was served on the…

A MAJORITY of Welsh Labour Members of the Senedd have declared their support for Jeremy Miles MS to be the party’s next Leader and First Minister of Wales. Overnight, figures from across the party united behind the Welsh Labour Education and Welsh Language Minister and called on him to stand for the leadership. They are: Mick Antoniw MS, Welsh Labour Counsel General & Minister for the Constitution & MS for Pontypridd Julie Morgan MS, Welsh Labour Deputy Minister for Social Services and MS for Cardiff North Lee Waters MS, Welsh Labour Deputy Minister for Climate Change & MS for Llanelli…

South Wales Police is investigating the death of a man in Princess Street, Treforest, Pontypridd. His family has been informed. Police cordons are in place while enquiries continue. The roads will re-open at the earliest opportunity. In the meantime, Police have said that the support and understanding of the local community is very much appreciated.