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

Youngsters are expected to make a huge splash to celebrate the reopening of Llanelli’s swimming pool . A fun packed, free activity programme has been planned for Saturday following the opening of the leisure centre facility earlier this week. Children are being invited to take part in a host of aquatic activities including free swims, Rookie, Aqua Aerobics, Water Polo, Snorkelling, Diving, and general fun sessions. Basketball, Junior Zumba, Circuits, Multi Skills, Trampoline, Futsal and Raquet sessions will also be delivered throughout the day in the sports hall. For the younger age group there will be a Netball and Hockey tots as well as family sport sessions which will start around 4.30pm. During the afternoon adults can get active by trying their hand at Spinning and Kettlebells sessions. Activities will start at 11am until 6pm, with free swimming for all on Sunday. The council’s senior sport and leisure manager, Carl Daniels said: “We are delighted to be up and running again and...

It's splashing news. Llanelli’s swimming pool reopens on Monday. (Sept 1st.) The Llanelli Leisure Centre facility has a new £350k roof after major damage caused in the January storms. It has been a frustrating summer for indoor swimmers with the repair work becoming protracted because a special construction environment had to be created because of the volume of asbestos that had to be safely removed from the old roof structure. County executive board member for regeneration and leisure services, Cllr Meryl Gravell, said: “This was a major scheme with 1,200sq metres of roofing to be replaced including new skylights and lighting alterations. “TAD Builders have performed a difficult task while the Leisure Centre has remained opened for all other activities. “There will not be much to see at this immensely popular facility by way of improvements but the swimming pool has a secure roof for the future and I have to thanks the members of the public for their patience while the difficul...

Further technical problems have been encountered at Llanelli Leisure Centre leading to longer delays in reopening the pool. It had been hoped that the pool, which has been closed since major damage occurred during the storms earlier this year, would be reopened before the end of the summer holidays. However, significant changes are now having to be made to the planned works after a higher level of asbestos was found to that originally expected. Although asbestos in older buildings is perfectly normal and left undisturbed pose no problems, the way it has to be dealt with within a construction environment is different to the usual method of work. Therefore, the planned timetable and method of working has had to be altered to accommodate the changes. This has resulted in the contractor having to design additional structural scaffolding and to submit a revised construction phase plan. The work was originally estimated to cost around £300,000, however it is now expected to be higher, but...

Recent storms that hit Wales left the coastline in devastation and with summer just around the corner; Keep Wales Tidy (KWT) is searching for volunteers in Carmarthenshire and surrounding areas to help get our local beaches back to looking beautiful! The second annual Clean Coasts Week, sponsored by McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd, takes place from the 10th – 18th May 2014. Keep Wales Tidy along with McDonald’s restaurant staff, community groups, schools and businesses will take part in clean-up events across the country, after high winds and severe flooding battered our coasts and left some beaches unrecognisable. Cefn Sidan lost a large amount of sand dune, and all along the Carmarthenshire coast, damage was caused causing transportation issues and problems for wildlife. A huge amount of marine litter was also washed onto the beaches with the large swells. Daniel Snaith, KWT Carmarthenshire Project Officer said: “After last year’s successful Clean Coasts Week in Carmarthenshire, we are ...

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service is continuing to provide support to areas of the UK affected by flooding. On Friday, the Service deployed a Swift Water Rescue Team from Hay on Wye Fire Station and specialist pumping equipment to assist with the current flooding situation in the Thames Valley. Over the weekend, relief crews and additional equipment from Ammanford Fire Station were sent to Whitleywood Fire Station in Berkshire. For more on this story, click on the headline link to the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

Llanelli Leisure Centre swimming pool has been forced to close due to damage caused by adverse weather conditions. The damage is currently being assessed and until such time it will remain closed, with part of the car park also hit. All other areas of the centre remain open as normal. See Llanelli Star story on headline link.

Cross Hands Library has been closed temporarily while repairs are being carried out to the building. A full structural survey is being undertaken following concerns about the condition of the parapet wall at the front. The library will be closed for the foreseeable future and the area has been cordoned off for scaffolding to be erected. The library service will continue to be provided via the mobile facility, times and days will be announced shortly. Carmarthenshire County Council’s executive board member for libraries Cllr Meryl Gravell said: “We apologise for any inconvenience caused as a result of this closure. “We are exploring a number of options to continue providing the library service in this area. “We will deploy the mobile library van as soon as possible while a longer term solution is decided, as we await the result of the survey from the current building.”

Sea defences installed 25-years ago to protect a now defunct experimental wind turbine station off the coast at Burry Port have been damaged in the recent storms. As a result, 30-metres of a triple bank of stone-filled gabions are being removed and a footpath within Burry Port Woodlands is being sacrificed in a ‘managed retreat’ by being moved inland. Two bite-sized chunks of the headland overlooking the sea have been taken in the storms. Fencing and signs have been installed to warn regular users and dog walkers of the risks of walking too close to the edge where chunks of the land alongside the footpath have fallen 20 to 25-feet to the beach below. The eroding bank consists of a back pulverised fuel ash waste product of the former Carmarthen Bay Power Station which occupied land nearby. Carmarthenshire County Council’s coastal defence consultant Howard Blackwell said a short length of the stone-filled gabions that had been installed more than 25 years ago had been undermined by the...

Carmarthenshire Council highways crews will be on standby over the weekend as severe weather could cause disruption across the county. A combination of high tides, a positive surge, strong winds and large waves could lead to minor coastal flooding, particularly on Saturday. Properties and communities in coastal locations may be affected; disruption to travel is possible as well as further damage to previously compromised flood defence infrastructure. Sandbags have been delivered to areas affected by the New Year storms including Llangennech, Llansteffan, Laugharne, Llanddowror and Pendine. Some remedial works have been carried out along the Llanelli coast and the existing flood defence boards at Pendine have been reinforced and backed by a wall of sandbags. A temporary pump also continues to be on site at Llansteffan. Crews will be on standby in the event of road closures at the above locations, as well as the Quayside in Carmarthen. Householders are being reminded that sandbags are...

Investment in coastal defences along Carmarthenshire’s coastline in recent years prevented significant damage in the early January storms. That was the view expressed to Mid and West Wales Labour AM Joyce Watson when she discussed the effects of the recent storms at a meeting with senior council officers and coastal defence experts at Llanelli’s Discovery Centre. Mrs Watson had visited other storm damaged areas and was particularly concerned at the effect on rail passengers and Milford Haven oil freight deliveries with line closures caused by storm damage to main railway lines at Pwll and Ferryside. Carmarthenshire’s consultant coastal protection engineer, Howard Blackwell, explained that the threats to Llanelli’s coast - by rising tides and combinations of storm-driven Spring tides - has been the subject of a detailed survey that has been ongoing for 10 years. Mrs Watson said:“I am very grateful to Mr Blackwell and councillor Peter Cooper for taking the time to show me around some...