Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Spring will definitely be in the air at Haverfordwest's special Good Friday Farmers' Market on April 2nd betweem 9am and 3pm. Nearly 30 local producers will be selling a wide range of fresh produce, including new season lamb, beef and turkey for Easter Sunday lunch. Easter specials include Pembrokeshire hogget - a more mature mountain lamb - chocolate and chilli Easter sausage, and French-trimmed rack of lamb with a free pack of lamb mince. Choose from freshly picked leeks and parsnips, as well as more unusual Pembrokeshire-grown vegetables including Russian kale, spinach, palm cabbage and salad turnips. Don't miss the home-made hot cross buns with apple and cinnamon, Easter bunny gingerbreads, and Simnel cakes, slices and muffins. There's also butterfly and duck-shaped Easter chocolates, luxury Easter cheesecakes, hot cross rum truffles and chocolate easter egg cake. Or if you're planning a Bank holiday picnic, take your pick from a wonderful array of local produce

Stackpole V.C. School held a very successful Eisteddfod once again this year. The quality of entries for each competition was very high and the judging was quite a challenge. The art, craft and cookery entries were displayed in school and parents and members of the community were welcomed to see the results. A morning of competitions was also held, where pupils competed in front of the whole school. They sang, played instruments, organised house choirs and recited. Pupils gained points for their respective houses with Brownslade the overall winner. Following this, parents and Councillor Huw George, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People, Learning and the Welsh Language, was invited to an ‘Eisteddfod Winners' Assembly' to present the certificates. All winners performed or showed their artwork and Councillor George commented on the thoroughly enjoyable afternoon he had had and recommended that all parents view the fantastic competition entries.

Carmarthen accountants Clay Shaw Butler have released their round-up of this week's Budget - Alistair Darling presented his third Budget on Wednesday 24 March 2010. Having acknowledged that the country is emerging from deep global recession and needing to provide a route to long term prosperity he announced a number of new measures. Some will take effect immediately, whilst others will be enacted by a Finance Bill 'as soon as possible' in the next Parliament, so the timing of the changes needs to be carefully watched. Our summary focuses on the issues likely to affect you, your family and your business. To help you decipher what was said we have included our own comments. Main Budget proposals • The Entrepreneurs' Relief limit will be doubled to £2 million for disposals on or after 6 April 2010. Gains qualifying for the relief are charged at an effective capital gains tax rate of 10%. • Most businesses are able to claim an Annual Investment Allowance on the first £50,00

Parents are being urged to check they have applied for transport for their children moving up to secondary school in September. Children are usually eligible for free school transport if they live three or more miles from their designated or their nearest secondary schools. The criteria is set by the Welsh Assembly. County executive board member for transport services Cllr Haydn Jones said: “Every year there are scores of families affected because they ignore or have lost the application letters. “Transport applications forms were included with the package of information issued to parents or year seven children as part of the transfer process for children moving from primary to secondary schools. “This is very much a last chance for parents to make sure the school travel arrangements are in order. Our school transport teams have to ensure the necessary numbers of school transport vehicles are contracted and available to run the services.” “In the last school year a total number of 128

"These days, like a good, mature wine, I don't travel so well" - Actress Dinah Sheridan, 89, explaining why she will not be attending the 40th anniversary celebrations of the film classic The Railway Children.

The Wurzels' novelty hit I'm A Cider Drinker is to be used as a rallying cry for protests over Budget hikes in alcohol duty. A campaign is under way to take the band, known for hits such as Combine Harvester, to the top of the charts to highlight the backlash against Chancellor Alistair Darling's tax increases on cider. Now the scrumpy-loving West Country group pledged to donate profits from sales of their song to charity.

The green bin/blue bag recycling scheme is being rolled out to another 1,000 homes. Householders in the Carmarthen and surrounding area will be issued with a green bin (and kitchen caddie) for their food waste and blue bags for recycling paper, cardboard, cans and plastic. The green bins will be collected weekly, with blue bags and black bags collected on alternate weeks. The residents will come on to the scheme on the week beginning March 29. There are now around 75,000 households in Carmarthenshire to benefit from kerbside recycling. Launched in February 2008, the green bin/blue bag scheme has been a big success with residents now recycling more than 40 per cent of their waste Figures for the first three quarters of 2009/10 showed a recycling rate of 42 per cent. This means the county is on course to meet its 40 per cent target set by the Welsh Assembly Government. Director of technical services Richard Workman said: “We would like to thank householders for doing their bit to help us

Carmarthenshire County Council’s Road Safety Unit will be holding a series of Child Safety Fun Days during the Easter holidays. The main aim of the day is to check as many child car seats as possible, as over recent years it has been found that up to 8 out of 10 car seats checked have been fitted incorrectly. The Road Safety Unit has invited other agencies and businesses to take part including the Community Safety Partnership, Flying Start, Dyfed Powys Police, RNLI, Western Power, Real Nappies, and Pure Baby Organics. The free Fun Days will take place at Newcastle Emlyn Leisure Centre on Tuesday April 13, Carmarthen Leisure Centre on Wednesday April 14, Amman Valley Leisure Centre on Thursday April 15 and Llanelli Leisure Centre on Friday April 16, all from 10am to 4pm. As well as learning about road safety, children will have the chance to meet Gari Gosafe, Sali Mali, Postman Pat, and Cochyn with some of the Scarlets players. There will be magic and fun with Mr Tricks the clown. Other

Did you know that during 2008/09 Carmarthenshire County Council Housing Services: Increased the number of affordable homes in the county by 61. Provided 1,682 council homes with loft insulation. Provided 1,878 Council homes with cavity wall insulation. Provided 863 Council homes with fuel efficient central heating systems. Piloted an improved service to older people in Ammanford through working with the British Red Cross. Provided home safety advice to the over 50s living in Garnant and Glanamman with help from Dyfed Powys Police. Reduced current rent arrears by £303,765.14 since 1 April 1, 2007.

Carmarthenshire's Executive Board has rejected any rise in their pay for the next financial year. Members voted unanimously today to freeze their allowances - against the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales. It follows previous public announcements by Council Leader Cllr Meryl Gravell and Deputy Leader Cllr Kevin Madge that they would not be accepting the recommended rise. However, the Executive Board agreed that the report should go to Full Council to give all councillors the opportunity to debate the issue regarding any rise or changes to basic allowances for all members. Cllr Gravell said: “As an Executive Board we all feel we should do the same thing as our senior officers have already done and freeze our pay for the coming financial year, due to the financial situation and economic recession we are in. “However, the report should go to Full Council for all members to vote on this as it affects all members, but as an Executive Board we will certainly

An underspend is forecast for Carmarthenshire’s end of year budget due to better than expected efficiency savings. The net revenue budget is expected to show a plus figure of £470,000, despite huge pressures in certain areas. However, councillors are warning that harder times are ahead and it will become increasingly difficult to balance the books. Every department has looked for savings, year on year, for the past few years which has resulted in millions of pounds in efficiency gains. But pressures have continued to build in certain departments with social care in particular experiencing increasing demand. The department is predicting an overspend of £1.288 million including £614,000 in home care; increased residential placements costing £207,000; increased packages in Direct Payments totalling £53,000 and increased demand for adaptations and equipment of £57,000. Additional packages of £426,000 have been invested in residential care; £99,000 in community day services, £195,000 in res

"I always feel sorry for Alistair Darling. He always looks in a hurry and has had to borrow somebody else's eyebrows" - Rory Bremner.

A frustrated customer chained himself to a door inside Dublin's Passport Office until it was guaranteed that he would have travel documents to fly to his brother's wedding in Thailand. Colin Gillick was among hundreds of worried holidaymakers who queued over fears that plans to travel would be ruined by the continuing public sector workers' dispute. Armed with three coats, a flask of tea, sandwiches, radio, books, lamp - and a bicycle chain - Mr Gillick camped in the cold for more than 10 hours overnight before being told his application had not even been checked.

A dead dog has been found in a blue recycling bag. Recycling chiefs at Carmarthenshire County Council are horrified. The bag was put out for collection somewhere in the Amman and Towy valleys area. It was picked up the refuse/recycling crew who were unaware of its contents and taken to the Materials Recycling Centre at Johnstown in Carmarthen. The dog was only discovered when the bag was loaded onto the picking line. Recycling officers are now appealing for anyone with any information to get in touch. The dog was large, the same size as a sheepdog, and was black in colour. Director of technical services Richard Workman said: “I am absolutely appalled by this incident, I cannot believe that someone would put a dog in a blue bag; this was no accident. “We are now appealing to the public for any information which they may have in relation to this incident and will report any wrongdoing to the RSPCA without hesitation. “Residents who misuse the recycling scheme can also be prosecuted under

A new project is set to benefit over 12,000 young people across Carmarthenshire. Engage, a Convergence funded South West Wales partnership project, will work with NEET young people (Not in Education, Employment or Training) and with those facing difficulties such as underachievement. Delivery of the project will run until December 2012. In Carmarthenshire, the project (including partner match funding) is worth nearly £6m and will be delivered via a range of County Council departments, the Youth Offending Service and Coleg Sir Gâr, with the opportunity for partner organisations to tender for other parts of the project. Councillor Gwynne Wooldridge, Executive Board Member for Children and Education Services said:“Engage will provide alternative curricula and innovative training approaches to motivate and boost the confidence of students who are disaffected from school. The delivery of the Engage Project will be tailored to the needs of each individual through a range of techniques; inclu

A Llanelli mum has been fined more than £400 for allowing her daughter to truant from school. She was convicted at Llanelli Magistrates Court in her absence of an offence contrary to Section 444(1) of the Education Act, 1996. The court was told that the girl was absent from school more than three quarters of the time. An education welfare officer had tried on numerous occasions to engage with the family but to no avail. A final warning was given informing her parent of court proceedings unless there was an improvement in attendance. Action had previously been taken by the local authority for non-attendance at school. The mother was fined £435 and ordered to pay £100 prosecution costs. The local authority’s senior education welfare officer Avril Jones said: “We prefer to work with families to get children to attend school regularly and we only prosecute as a last resort. We had tried everything before bringing this prosecution.” Education executive board member Cllr Gwynne Wooldridge sa

The Llanelli Reds Championship hopes took a knock on Tuesday night as they lost 1-0 at Gap Connah's Quay. Sam McNutt scored an 81st minute winner as the Nomads completed another excellent home win over a Championship Title contender. Having already beaten TNS on their own patch, Ken Price's side beat Llanelli on Deeside as the title race took another twist. The Reds go to TNS on Sunday at Park Hall in what is now an even more important tie.

CPD Caerfyrddin / Carmarthen AFC A Danny Thomas brace, one in each half, gave Town a well deserved but hard fought win. It was Carmarthen's 100th Welsh Premier League win. They are chasing a top 10 spot to stay in the Welsh Premier League.

BBC News - Universities in grant 'challenge'

:: John Major's one and only Budget in 1990 was the first to be televised live. :: Sir Geoffrey Howe, Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1979-1983, named his dog Budget. :: In his 1953 Budget Chancellor RA Butler announced that the sugar ration would be increased from 10oz to 12oz a week to help the nation make celebratory cakes for the Queen's Coronation that year. :: What some of them drank while delivering Budgets: Winston Churchill was a brandy man, while Hugh Dalton relied on milk and rum. Selwyn Lloyd supped whisky and water, while Hugh Gaitskell relied on orange juice with a dash of rum. :: But Rab Butler, Harold Macmillan and Peter Thorneycroft, all Tories, made do with water from the tap. :: A Chancellor delivering his Budget is the only MP allowed to take alcohol in the chamber. :: Longest-serving chancellor was Gladstone - for more than 12 years in various terms of office between 1852 and 1882. :: Harold Macmillan once described Budget Day as "rather like a school

"I don't like going into town any more, everybody's got camera phones. Gavin and I still haven't quite learned to drink responsibly" - Singer Charlotte Church who, with her boyfriend Gavin Henson, has had a bar installed in the garden of their home.

A dog was "rebuilt" by a team of 40 vets, nurses and students after it was hit by a car. Ruby, a three-year-old lurcher, spent five weeks recovering from the accident which left her with two broken legs, a broken sternum, a broken toe, a dislocated knee, ruptured ligaments and internal bleeding into her lungs. Medics at the Queen's Veterinary School Hospital in Cambridge have looked after her since the incident on January 26. They repaired her fractures with four metal plates and screws and also used a skin graft to cover a wound.

Stroke victim Alan Cant can barely put one leg in front of the other but he has high hopes of completing the London Marathon. The fact that he has a runner, his cousin, Gareth Davies running for him should come as no surprise. Alan, aged 69, can only manage two walking stick assisted laps of Ward 9 Llanelli’s Prince Philip Hospital. He has been a patient there recovering from a stoke afflicting him since last May. Distance running however is no issue for Gareth, of Elkington Road, Burry Port. A Coleg Sir Gar lecturer in complimentary therapies, he has been more used to running 53-mile marathons than the “ comparatively mini” 26.2-mile London Marathon. Marathon man Gareth, aged 57, has run 53 marathons of 26-miles or longer and London Marathon on April 25 will be his 54th. Gareth has been so moved by the dedication of the nursing team around his cousin Alan at Ward 9 he has decided to run the marathon to help raise funds for the patients there and the Stroke Association. He said: “This

Two people have been fined £75 for throwing cigarette ends out of their car windows in Carmarthenshire in recent weeks. The fixed penalty notices were issued by council environmental enforcement officers in two separate incidents in Llanelli and Carmarthen – and on both occasions their excuse was that cigarette ends weren’t litter! The fines were handed out ahead of a Carmarthenshire County Council campaign against smoking-related litter. Residents are being urged to stub it, bin it and help keep Carmarthenshire clean or they too could be fined £75 - or more if prosecuted through the magistrates court. Research shows that discarded cigarette ends make up the largest proportion of litter in Carmarthenshire. In fact, 83 per cent of the county’s streets had visible evidence of smoking-related litter when inspected by Keep Wales Tidy. As well as cigarette ends, the streets were littered with cigarette packets and the associated foil and cellophane wrapping, tobacco pouches and paper, cigar

A Llanelli businesswoman has been prosecuted for selling battery eggs as free range. Linda Cavill pleaded guilty at Llanelli Magistrates Court to two offences contrary to the Eggs and Chicks (Wales) Regulations 2009 and to a further offence contrary to Section 15 of the Food Safety Act 1990. The court was told that Cavill’s company, G&L Cavill and Son, had supplied eggs to a shop in Dryslwyn. A DEFRA egg inspector called at the shop and tests showed that some eggs packaged as free range were in fact caged hens’ eggs. The ‘best before’ dates on the eggs were also wrong. Cavill, of Trimsaran Road, Llanelli, was fined £800 for each of the first two offences relating to the age of the eggs and fined £2,000 in respect of the Food Safety Act offence, which related to the misdescription of the eggs. She was also ordered to pay full costs of £1,203.48. The council’s executive board member for housing and public protection Cllr Hugh Evans said: “It is important that people can feel confiden

Tess the dog enjoys her daily walk down the Millennium Coastal Park, Llanelli. Think if you click header you will see pic . . . I hope. For more pics, see - http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/robertapvincent/MCPLlanelli#

"They say I am a wicked man who deserves to be punished in hell. Luckily it is not in their power to do anything like sending me there" - Writer Philip Pullman, who has been attacked for his "blasphemy" in a controversial book about Jesus.

A decision to ban police officers from riding mountain bikes unless they have received 10 hours of training was described as "a health and safety doctrine gone too far". Officers in Northampton were given the push bikes to patrol the Parklands area of the town, but it emerged they are sitting idle until constables have been given the necessary training. Councillor Malcolm Mildren, an independent member of Northampton Borough Council, said the police's stance became apparent at a meeting last week for residents in Parklands, which he represents.

A fifth charity will benefit from the 29th annual Carmarthen Mayor’s Fun Run on Easter Monday, April 5. Four charities are already set to receive £500 each – Carmarthen Bi-Polar Self Help Group, Carmarthen Awaydays, Carmarthen Women’s Refuge and the Towy Salmon swimming club. Now race organisers have added in a fifth charity, the Therapeutic Day Service at the West Wales General Hospital, Glangwili, Carmarthen. Race organisers are still looking for volunteer marshalls. If you can help, ring Carmarthen Town Council on 01267 235199.

WalesOnline - FootballNation - Welsh Premier - Vital week for Carmarthen Town Manager Deryn Brace rallies the troops ready for this week's big matches. The Carmarthen Town AFC statement in full - Manager Deryn Brace does not underestimate the importance of the task this week and knows that his side has to deliver. “This week is probably the biggest week in the club’s current history. With all the big games we’ve had in cup finals, European games and major league games. These next two games are as big as any in the club’s history. The players will have to respond to that responsibility. “Obviously we’ve got to regroup. We have to stick together and one dismal performance away from home shouldn’t change our beliefs. We have to get over it and we’ll look at a formation with the challenge that Bala and Newtown will give us. We’ll be making changes but we’ll set out a side that will secure us victory." Brace made an appeal for Town fans to turn up in numbers to support his squad at

Pembrokeshire is to host the Under-18s Schools Centenary International between Wales and the Republic of Ireland on Thursday, 25th March. The fixture will be held at the Bridge Meadow, Haverfordwest, with kick off at 7pm. Admission is free for children under 16 years of age and £5 for adults. The match is being sponsored by Sport Pembrokeshire, the sport division of Pembrokeshire County Council. Thursday's fixture is extra special as there is a local player in the Welsh squad - Steffan Williams. Steffan was born in Haverfordwest and plays for Haverfordwest County in the Welsh Premier League. A former junior player at Clarbeston Road AFC and a former pupil of Ysgol y Preseli, he received his first cap last season. He is studying for a diploma in Public Services at Pembrokeshire College but has the ambition of making the grade in the professional game, and has had trials with Aston Villa, Cardiff, Bristol City and Swansea. In 2008 at the England v Wales game at the Meadow, one of th

Llanelli Reds Manager Andy Legg has picked-up the Welsh Premier League's manager of the month award for February. Appointed as player-manager of the Reds in the close season, Legg's table toppers are currently on a winning streak run of 12 league games. During February, they won 2-0 away at Newtown, 1-0 at Airbus UK Broughton and 5-0 at home to Porthmadog, the only blot on the record a Welsh cup quarter-final defeat at Bangor City. Llanelli currently head the table on goal difference and have two games in hand on rivals The New Saints. Meanwhile, the Reds Under-19s game with Carmarthen Town at Stebonheath tonight has been called off. The pitch is waterlogged again!

Grey Cardigan: Sick as a Sunday Times sub | Grey Cardigan (thegreycardigan@gmail.com) Anything about UKIP leader Nigel Farage is always going to attract attention.

BBC News - Obituary: Harry Carpenter How sad. He was one of the great commentators.

The Llanelli Reds home game with Rhyl, postponed last Saturday due to the Waterlogged state of the Stebonheath Park pitch, has been rearranged for Thursday 22nd April 2010. KO 7.30pm. Meanwhile, the Reds Under-18s won their latest SWFA Youth League match when they defeated Maesteg Park by 4 goals to 1 at Llanerch on Sunday afternoon. The goals came from Daniel Wilks, Ben Williams, Kristian Corbisiero and Shaun Edwards.

The clock is ticking to the start of the 29th annual Carmarthen Mayor’s Fun Run. It will take place, as usual, on Easter Monday, which falls in under two weeks on April 5, 2010. “The race is one of the highlights of the year in Carmarthen,” Deputy Town Mayor Councillor Alan Speake said this week. “I would urge everyone, young and old, to consider taking part and making the event a great fun occasion for Carmarthen town.” Councillor Speake is chairing the Mayor’s Fun Run Steering Group in the run-up to race day. He added: “The event is recognised as a great occasion in Carmarthen.” There is a the main 5k fun run and a series of junior races. Runners are being encouraged to dress up in fancy dress and field pub and club teams. The junior races cater for Years 2-10. The senior fun run has categories for males and females under 40 and 35 and veterans groups for older age groups. Everyone who completes the course gets a medal. Entry forms are published in the Carmarthen Journal. The forms a

Carmarthenshire Trading Standards are warning householders not to accept a free burglar alarm which then ties the victim to a contract costing thousands of pounds. The Trading Standards Service is urging consumers to say no to companies offering these free appliances and claiming that they are working with the police or as part of a Government scheme, or that they are researching for a fire and security alarm system company. The salesman will typically cold call, keen to make a home visit the same day to discuss the installation of a free or cheap alarm. The companies are reported to use high pressure tactics and to scaremonger about rising crime levels in the area, while some are reported to make misleading claims about the alarms being directly linked to the police or the availability of a hotline to police patrol cars. What they fail to mention are the fees that residents will have to pay for the monitoring, upkeep and rapid response facilities, which can add up to thousands of pou

A new £250,000 tourism fund has been launched to help communities develop a distinctive Carmarthenshire. The Sustainable Community Tourism Fund will encourage the development of community tourism that will encompass the economic, social, cultural and environmental dimensions of rural community life. Up to £25,000 is up for grabs by community and rural councils, community enterprises, not-for-profit organisations and the voluntary sector to develop new tourism projects. Each project must promote a sense of pride and place with a strong local identity, encompassing recreational, cultural, historical, industrial and natural features. Eligible projects include trails, walks and interpretation to link to local legends, history, culture and language, specialist outdoor adventure activity facilities, wildlife woodlands, view points, and picnic areas. The funding could also go towards historic sites and premises with tourism potential that will support the local economy. Tourism and marketing

BBC News - Inquiry call on bomb deaths before prince's investiture

"Every man should possess a guitar, an army knife, a shelf full of books, a warm coat, a computer and a mistress. Get those things into your life and you won't go far wrong" - former Python Eric Idle

Retailers are hoping for a repeat of hit Christmas toy the Go Go Hamster with the release of a "virtual rabbit" companion in time for Easter. The Zhu Zhu Fluffy Bunny shares all the attributes of the battery-powered hamster, including a sensor in its nose that prevents it from bumping into obstacles. The latest "hassle-free pet" makes up to 40 sounds from squeals and squeaks in "adventure" mode or coos and purrs in "nurturing" mode.

BBC Sport - Rugby Union - Coach Warren Gatland pleas for Wales centre patience Agree, despite Hook's two tries don't think the centre partnership is working that well.

BBC News - Queen guitarist Brian May joins fight over badger cull Whatever next?

The Llanelli Reds Under-18s entertain Maesteg Park at Llanerch this afternoon.KO 2pm

There's a mile Sport Relief charity fun run along Llanelli promenade to Llanelli Water Park on Sunday (March 21st) at 11am (in about five minutes time!) Families are invited to enter with registration at the Discovery Centre on Llanelli's North Dock from 9am. The run is safely contained along footpaths within Llanelli’s Millennium Coastal Park

The transformed Trallwm Hall has been officially opened. The stunning building, which is open for use by the whole community, has added a new vibrancy to the Llwynhendy area of Llanelli. Members of Trallwm Forum and local volunteers have worked tirelessly to get the £480,000 project off the ground, and on Tuesday, March 2, the hall was declared open and officially named ‘Poets Corner’. Funding to make the scheme a reality has been a partnership approach. Carmarthenshire County Council has contributed £25,000 from its County Collaboration Fund, and a further £126,000 from its capital building programme and section 106 agreements. The Welsh Assembly contributing £299,519.24 from its Community Facilities and Activities Programme, and Cwm Environmental contributed a further £45,000. The hall was opened by the Chair of Llanelli Rural Council, Cllr Carol Rees. The rural council has agreed to take over the maintenance of the building following the redevelopment. Trallwm Football Club is alrea

A group of Indian teachers have visited Carmarthenshire as part of an international schools partnership. The teachers, who come from Orissa, spent time at Dafen School, Ysgol Bryn Teg in Cefncaeau, Llanelli, Ysgol Penboyr in Drefach, Felindre, and Dyffryn Taf Comprehensive School in Whitland. They have visited the area as part of the British Council’s Connecting Classrooms programme and also had the opportunity to taste traditional Welsh culture including folk dancing. Carmarthenshire County Council chairman Cllr Tyssul Evans welcomed the visitors to Wales, Carmarthenshire and Carmarthen and presented the teachers with plaques for their schools and a gift. Cllr Tyssul Evans and chairman’s consort Delyth Dunsford are pictured with the teachers from Orissa and their hosts.

"This new Shakespeare play suddenly coming to light has made me wonder if I could get my money back on that Complete Works Of Shakespeare I bought in good faith" - Entertainer Frank Skinner.

A book has been returned to a library 45 years overdue. Stunned librarians in Dinnington, South Yorkshire, could not believe it when they received a package containing a Penguin first edition copy of Quatermass and the Pit, by Nigel Kneale, which was borrowed in September 1965. There was no clue as to who sent the parcel but the long-term borrower need not have worried about the fine as Rotherham Council has a policy of limiting all penalties to £6 a book.