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Fire service pay tribute to London high rise victims

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Tragic: The fire in London this morning (Jun 14)

MID AND WEST WALES FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE have paid tributes to the victims of the tragic fire in London today (Jun 14).

Chris Davies, Chief Fire Office of Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: ”As the terrible events in London are still unfolding and the circumstances of today’s incident remain unclear, our thoughts are with those who have lost their lives, been affected by this incident or are responding from London Fire Brigade or as part of the wider multi agency response. This incident has been traumatic and challenging for all those concerned.

“At this stage, we do not yet know what caused the fire, where it started or how it has spread in such a way. As such, it’s important that we do not try and speculate on these key questions and allow those who are conducting the investigation to come to their conclusions. However, there is some important advice that we can share with those that live in high rise properties across mid and west Wales.”

The fire service advice is as follows:

  • If you live in a high rise property, you are no more at risk of a fire starting. Our advice is that people who live in high rise properties / purpose built flats or maisonettes, aside from having a working smoke alarm and taking fire safety precautions, is to make sure you know your escape route and what to do if there is a fire inside your home of somewhere else in the building.
  • Never prop or wedge doors open. The exterior doors of your home are specially designed to resist fire and stop the spread of smoke. However, to do this, they must be kept closed when they are not in use. It is also a good idea to close your internal doors when you retire for the night.
  • Make sure that your escapes routes, inside and outside of your flat, are kept clear of obstacles at all times.
  • Know where your keys are – vital time needed to escape may be lost if you have to scramble around looking for them.

If the smoke alarm sounds:

  • Don’t open doors looking for the source of the fire.
  • Alert everyone else and leave the flat, closing the door behind you.
  • Don’t stop to gather personal belongings or pets.
  • Don’t use a balcony to escape unless it’s part of an official escape route.
  • When you are out of the building, find a phone and call 999 – and remember to keep calm and speak clearly.
  • Never go back into the building until you have been told it is safe to do so.

If a fire breaks out elsewhere in the building:

  • It will normally be safe for you to stay in your own flat. Open a window if you need fresh air, and stay by the window where you may been seen. If your own flat becomes affected by smoke, leave at once, closing windows and doors behind you.
  • If you have to leave the building, always use the staircase and never use the lift.
  • If you have to move through smoke, keep as close to the floor as you can, where the air is fresher.
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Rugby Weekly – Tenby’s promotion push continues

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It’s crunch time for all rugby clubs around the county, whether promotion is their aim or fighting relegation or even just trying to improve their league position, it’s now or never. 

Last weekend saw an important win for Fishguard in division two west which should put any relegation fears to bed completely. James Griffiths added an impressive 18 points for the Seagulls as they defeated Nantgaredig 33-19. 

Elsewhere in the second division, Milford were beaten 32-8 by a good Lampeter outfit. The Mariners are still a little too close for comfort with the drop zone but should have enough quality to see them safe. 

At the other end of the table Tenby sit in second place and have played fewer games than leaders St Clears and third place Lampeter. They won impressively again last weekend, beating Pontyberem 64-19 at Haywood Lane. Fletcher Broadhurst impressed with two tries as did Hywel Baker who also grabbed himself a brace. Another excellent performance in an outstanding season so far in which promotion would be the absolute icing on the cake. 

In Division Three West, Pembroke were well beaten by Laugharne 74-15 in which the outstanding Liam Price and Nico Setaro both crossed the whitewash 4 teams a piece. The latter also added 7 successful conversions. 

There was a local derby at Pill Parks where Llangwm hosted Pembroke Dock Quins and it was an exciting clash. The visitors won narrowly 28-23, Craig Barnett and Gethin Bradney both scored two tries for the Quins. The Wasps battled hard and will be proud of their performance, Gethin Thomas impressed for the hosts with two tries of his own but it wasn’t enough to secure the points. 

St David’s hosted the high flying Cardigan outfit and were unable to score in reply to the visitors 20 points, with it ending 20-0. The Saints however won’t be losing too much sleep over it as they have had a great season so far. 

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Stephen Crabb leads inquiry on retaining community bank services  

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PRESELI Pembrokeshire MP, and Chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee Stephen Crabb is leading an inquiry in Parliament that will investigate the closure of high street banks in Wales, as well as access to cash.

In November 2023, Pembrokeshire saw the closure of Lloyds Bank in St Davids, and in the coming months both Barclays Bank and Halifax in Haverfordwest are set to close. In recent years, Wales has experienced a rapid decline in the number of high street banking services available to the public. Already in 2024, 23 high street bank closures have been announced in Wales, while automated teller machines (ATMs) declined by nearly a quarter between 2018 and 2023.

The Committee willconsider how declining high street banking services are impacting vulnerable people and small businesses across Wales, who are often more reliant on cash than digital banking. It will also examine how Wales is being affected by the loss of high street bank services, and whether the problem is worse in Wales than other parts of the UK.

Mr Crabb is a staunch advocate for retaining community banking facilities, especially in rural communities like Pembrokeshire where many local branches remain the only source of face-to-face banking provision for miles.

Recently Mr Crabb challenged Barclays Bank senior management on their decision to close the bank branch in Haverfordwest– a move that will see Barclays not only pull out of the county town, but means they won’t have a branch left anywhere in Pembrokeshire. He has also engaged with LINK – the UK’s largest cash machine network – and continues to campaign on the basis that a Banking Hub is established and that ATM machines should be retained or installed, especially in areas worst affected by the closures.  

Following the launch of the inquiry, MP Crabb added: “It is really sad to see so many banks across Wales closing as online banking grows in popularity. Despite the advantages of online banking, for a rural community with an ageing population like Pembrokeshire, bank branches hold huge importance as they offer face-to-face customer service.”

“I am acutely aware of the inconvenience that the bank closures locally have already caused following hundreds of replies from constituents to my ‘online banking survey’ ”

“I am looking forward to gathering further evidence on this subject through the committee’s inquiry, and will continue to put pressure on the relevant stakeholders to ensure that adequate alternative provisions are made through the establishment of banking hubs as well as the instalment of ATM machines where necessary.”

“In this inquiry, we are particularly keen to hear from those likely to be directly affected by the shift away from cash and physical banks. I encourage anyone with first-hand experience of losing banking services to give evidence to the Committee”

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Trains resume between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock as works end

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TRAIN services resumed this morning (Thursday 28 March) after ten days of essential round-the-clock work to upgrade track and drainage between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock.

The railway was closed from Monday 18 March to Wednesday 27 March to allow Network Rail teams to replace more than 200 metres of track and 300 tonnes of ballast (track stones) between Pembroke station and Pembroke Dock.

Work to improve the drainage between Narbeth and Kilgetty stations was also completed at the same time.

Nick Millington, Network Rail Wales and Borders route director, said: “This essential work in Pembrokeshire demonstrates our commitment to improving the reliability of the service we provide to passengers along our route.

“We know that replacing the track can be disruptive and very noisy, so I would like to thank the residents of Pembroke for their patience while our team carried out this crucial work.”

Colin Lea, Planning and Performance Director at Transport for Wales said: “We’re pleased that our colleagues in Network Rail have completed this essential work and that Transport for Wales rail services resumed today.

“We’d like to thank passengers for their patience while this work has progressed and look forward to welcoming passengers back in time for the Easter weekend.”

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