New hourly T8 bus service begins

Transport for Wales and Denbighshire County Council have announced a new hourly TrawsCymru T8 bus service between Corwen, Ruthin, Mold and Chester.

Starting earlier this week, the new T8 bus will offer more frequent and faster services, improving connectivity in the region and enabling passengers to travel without changing buses.

Transport for Wales is investing in public transport throughout Wales and the Borders and the TrawsCymru network is expanding and becoming more connected.

As part of these improvements, the new T8 will connect at Corwen with the T10 (Corwen - Betws y Coed - Bangor) and with more journeys on the T3 (Wrexham - Corwen - Bala - Dolgellau - Barmouth), creating a travelling interchange for customers.

The new bus service will be operated by M&H Coaches. The new TrawsCymru app and website provide customers with the ability to purchase mobile tickets, get up-to-date information, track services and the opportunity to see carbon savings from using public transport.

New timetables are available on Traveline and the TrawsCymru website.

Deputy Minister for Climate Change, with a responsibility for transport, Lee Waters said: “An hourly bus service will make a real difference to bus users in the area and will help to encourage more people to use public transport to get about. This is part of the Welsh Government’s investment in north Wales and future developments are being looked at by our North Wales Transport Commission led by Lord Burns.”

Lee Robinson, Development Director Mid, North and Rural Wales said: "The T8 is the latest in a number of improvements to regional bus services across Wales. TfW is committed to improving accessibility and connectivity for Wales’ country towns that are not on the rail network and we look forward to all the benefits the new T8 will bring."

Denbighshire County Council’s Lead Member for Environment and Transport, Cllr Barry Mellor, said: "The T8 represents a remarkable opportunity to improve the travel opportunities for residents in south Denbighshire. In future, they will benefit not just from an increase in frequency but improved through-services and connections. It will also allow those travelling from England to access leisure and visitor opportunities in Wales."

Wales walking book launched at Plas Newydd

* Howard Sutcliffe of the AONB, author Julie Brominicks, and Sian from Courtyard Books, Llangollen

A new walking book exploring Wales was recently launched at Plas Newydd, Llangollen.

Author Julie Brominicks, of Machynlleth, travelled to Llangollen to treat visitors to Plas Newydd with snippets of her new adventure filled book, ‘The Edge of Cymru’.

Having left her job as a teacher, in the course of a year Julie Brominicks walked around the edge of Wales via the Wales Coastal Path and Offas Dyke path.

As an English incomer and a Welsh learner with a long association with the country, she was interested in what Wales meant, and how she did, or didn’t, fit.

Julie, who is also a regular contributor to BBC Countryfile Magazine, said: “The book is a travel narrative, detailing encounters with the people, landscape and wildlife I met. At the same time, it traces a journey back through time, from Devolution to Evolution, because I was feeling uneasy about being an English incomer, and wanted to find out more about Cymru's language, culture, natural and social history.”

Howard Sutcliffe, Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB Officer and Ranger Service Manager, said: “I loved the day, it is the first time we have promoted an author and somewhat of a learning curve, we will definitely do it again for Welsh Authors who explore and celebrate our landscape. Especially pleasing was a couple of the Friends of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley who travelled all the way from Liverpool to the launch!”

Cllr Win-Mullen James, Lead Member for Local Development and Planning, said: “The AONB were delighted to host the launch of book which was held at Plas Newydd Historic House & Gardens, Llangollen. Julie provided some very interesting background information before signing copies of the book for attendees.”

Visitors to Loggerheads Country Park Visitor Centre or Courtyard Books in Llangollen can purchase a copy of ‘The Edge of Cymru’.

Ethan takes final role before bidding farewell to Young 'Uns

* Ethan Le Cheminant, in his final role as Gomez Addams, with Heledd Edwards who plays Morticia. Below: Ethan without make-up.

* Another atmospheric scene from the Addams Family.

One of the stars of Llangollen Operatic junior section’s smash-hit shows of the past few years will take his final bow after playing a lead role in their new musical.

For the Young ‘Uns Ethan Le Cheminant has been Danny in Grease, Scarecrow in Wizard of Oz and Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, where he jointly won the best performer award with Celyn Orton-Jones for Audrey.

He’s now packing away his costumes for the final time as he leaves the group to study maths at university.

But not before he takes on his final leading role as Gomez Addams in their production of the Addams Family, which runs at Llangollen Town Hall from February 16-18 with a matinee at 2pm on the Saturday and all other performances at 7.30pm.    

Ethan said: “Young ‘Uns to me has been a place where I've learnt how to express myself creatively and have the confidence to then go and show that to everyone.

“It’s been a place where I've made many what I hope are going to be lifelong friends and been able to do shows and performances that I didn't know I was capable of.

“My favourite part of Young ‘Uns is always show weeks, all the excitement and hard work coming together for us to put out there to everyone, and the bitter-sweet ending of when it’s all over.

“Being able to go out and perform with some of my closest friends has been amazing and the most enjoyable part.”

He added: “Highlight was the Friday night show of Little Shop of Horrors. Most things that could've gone wrong did go wrong, a chair that should've stayed still moving, the plant pot not being stuck in place, the gun not going off straight away, all manner of chaos and yet somehow we still put on in my opinion an amazing show.

“I’m going to miss the people in Young ‘Uns the most - my fellow cast members I've gone all through my teenage years acting with.

“I’m going to miss my directors, Jo and Robin, who put in countless hours with me over the years perfecting parts and have been there as a pillar to go to whenever I needed support either with the show or just in general terms.

“I'll miss our Musical Director, Julian, who again has put in countless hours going over songs with me and bringing me along as a musician, and also being someone to nerd out to about music that I'd heard, someone I could talk to about the thing I’m most passionate about.

“And I'll miss our Producer, Pam, who has essentially been my stage mum since all the way back when I did Grease in 2019. She’s been there and has supported me the whole way through my Young ‘Uns journey, just like all of our production crew have.”

Producer Pam Williams said: “We will miss him incredibly but wish him well in everything he does.” 

The Addams Family will have a live nine-piece band and a cast of 27 including 10 principals ranging in age from nine to 18.

Co-artistic directors are Robin Crowley and Jo Lloyd, Producer is Pamela Williams, Assistant Producer Dee Smith and Musical Director Julian Cattley.

The cast is: Ethan Le Cheminant (Gomez Addams), Heledd Edwards (Morticia Addams), Katie Clark (Wednesday Addams), Ethan Roberts (Uncle Fester), Dylan Harrison (Pugsley Addams), Sam Gonzalez Jones (Lurch), Gracie Broadhurst (Grandma Addams), Leri Roberts (Alice Beineke), Will Robinson (Mal Beineke) and Freya Mortimer (Lucas Beineke).

Pam Williams said rehearsals are going really well with everyone putting in 100% to ensure that this very difficult and complex show is another hit.

She added: “The musical numbers are not well known but as soon as you hear them you fall in love with them and can't get them out of your head.

"The fact that there's a series called Wednesday, about the Addams' daughter, running now on Netflix makes our show very current."

* Tickets for the Addams Family, which are selling quickly, are available online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/llangollenoperaticsociety and also from Jades, Oggies and the Tourist Information Centre at £12 and £10.

Town Council to host area's first Death Cafe

Tea, cake and ... death will be on the agenda for a meeting at Llangollen Town Hall later this month.

Charlie Jones, facilities officer for the Town Council, has come up with the idea of hosting a free-to-enter Death Cafe there on the afternoon of January 31.

A Death Cafe is a scheduled non-profit get-together for the purpose of talking about death over food and drink, usually tea and cake.

The aim of these non-profit groups is to educate and help others become more familiar with the end of life.

The idea originates with the Swiss sociologist and anthropologist Dr Bernard Crettaz, who organised the first "café mortel" in 2004.

Jon Underwood, a UK web developer, was inspired by Crettaz's work and developed the Death Cafe model in 2011.

There are currently almost 3,000 Death Cafes listed in United Kingdom and over 15,000 in countries across the world.

Charlie Jones said: "The Death Cafe has become an international movement and they help people to talk more easily about death.

"The Death Cafe is not a bereavement session just a place to have a chat over tea and cake.

"We hope people will consider coming along."

The Llangollen Death Cafe will be held at the Town Hall between 4.30 and 6.30pm on Tuesday January 31.

* For more details, email: facilities@llangollentowncouncil.gov.uk

Crane lifts roof frames for new Corwen station into place

 

* Nearly there ... the frame is guided onto the station roof.

* Steady now ... the frame about to be fixed in place.

* The 51-metre crane towers above the Corwen car park.

* This the superb aerial drone shot was captured by LR volunteer Richard Walliker, a qualified drone pilot with full permission to be onsite, and Wayne Ronnenback, Corwen Stationmaster.

* The Railway Trust team anxiously watches the process from the ground.

Another vital stop along the route to opening the new Corwen Station for Llangollen Railway’s trains was reached this morning (Tuesday) as the first of the huge metal frames to support the roof was lifted carefully into place by a towering crane.

At a total cost of around £1.25m, volunteers at the heritage railway have spent the last eight years working on extending the line through the Dee Valley from Llangollen to its final terminus in Corwen.

The new station, which has been under construction for the past year or so, is now heading for completion in time for when the entire line opens to the public in what is expected by railway bosses to be the second quarter of this year.

Richard Abbott, health and safety director for the Trust which has run the railway since it emerged from liquidation and the Covid lockdowns last year, said: “The pillars and subframe of the station are already in place and today our specialist contractors, Plant & Robinson Construction Ltd, began the job of adding the roof canopy frames.

“The 26 frames, each weighing just under one ton, will be delivered to the site by our suppliers based just outside Wrexham and lifted into place by a 51-metre-high crane we have hired for the job.

“Before being lifted into position each of the frames is being assembled from their 11 component parts by the contractors’ team and the whole job should take the next few days to complete.

“The next phase of the work is to fit the roof cladding.”

Railway chairman Phil Coles, who was watching the process along with fellow Trust members, said: “This is another important step in the extension of the line to Corwen, which has now been going on for eight years.

“The canopy has been paid for by the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund, administered by Denbighshire County Council, while the Welsh Government paid for the new station platform. The rest of the money has come from donations to the Trust over a number of years.

“So far we have spent just over £1m and the total cost of extending the line here from Corwen East is expected to be £1.25m.

“What has been done so far is a marvellous achievement and lots of the work has been handled by our volunteers who have an average age of 67, with some of them in their late seventies.    

“We are hopeful that the line to Corwen will finally be open to the public by the second quarter of this year.”       

Leaking roof crisis at museum leads to salvage operation

* Tidy Town Team volunteers move boxes of exhibits from the museum to the old courthouse across Parade Street.

Volunteers from Llangollen Tidy Town team moved into to prevent priceless artefacts at the town’s museum being damaged by rainwater pouring in from a defective roof.  

The dozen-strong group carefully moved dozens of items, including some 4,000-year-old Bronze Age bones and a Bible dating back two centuries, to a safe temporary home in a storage area at the old courthouse just across Parade Street on Monday morning.

The salvage operation was necessary because the vaulted roof in the 50-year-old circular museum building is now in such a dire state of repair that worried trustees say completely replacing it has become the only option.

But to secure grant aid for the work they are first aiming to acquire the building from its present owners, Denbighshire County Council, from whom they have been renting the former Llangollen Library for the past 20 or so years   

Museum trustee David Crane said: “We’ve been having major problems with the roof for some time but things have recently become much worse due to all the heavy rain.

“Water has been building up on the roof and then pouring in through one of the skylights which surround the roof.

“A roofing expert who looked at it for us said the roof was like a swimming pool and would cost more to keep on repairing than having the whole thing replaced.

“Another problem with the way the place is designed is that the drains from the roof run inside the building rather than on the outside.”

He added: “We have had to look at a number of options, including moving out of this building. But finding somewhere else to go and then moving our entire collection would not be easy.

“We have therefore come up with a plan to buy the building from the county council and at the same time apply for grant aid to cover the cost of renewing the roof.

“We estimate that the purchase and roof renewal would cost in the region of £130,000-£150,000 in total.

“We are hopeful of being able to get external funding but if we aren’t successful the only thing left would be to close the museum, which means the town would lose a very valuable asset.”

The Tidy Town Team, led by David Davies, formed a human chain to move a large number of boxes containing valuable exhibits from two storerooms on the museum’s upper floor,  which are most at risk of water damage, just across the road to the old courthouse.     

Another museum trustee Suzanne Evans said, so far, none of these artefacts, including Bronze Age bones found in the hills near Llangollen, a 200-year-old family Bible and a rare map of properties on the Chirk Castle estate, had been damaged in any way but were being moved before the rainwater reached them.

Trustees say that, despite their ongoing battle with the roof, the museum, which is one of the largest independent and accredited ones of its type in the county, would hopefully be opening again to the public following its Christmas break early in February.       

Llangollen county councillor Karen Edwards, who helped the Tidy Town Team with the salvage operation, said: "Llangollen Museum is a major asset to the town of Llangollen, providing an invaluable service to our community. 

"It was heartening yesterday to see the community come together to help the museum temporarily relocate their collections in order to safeguard them for the future. 

"I wholeheartedly support their efforts to establish a safe space for the future of our town museum." 

Llangollen mediation expert offers free business advice

A Llangollen-based expert is offering free advice on how to overcome risks faced by modern-day businesses. 

Selana Kong, managing director of the International Dispute Resolution and Risk Management UK Centre (IDRRM UK), is offering two mediation sharing webinars over the next few weeks.

She said: “These are for UK business leaders, people managers, legal professionals and newcomers from Hong Kong

“If you are looking to reduce business cost and risks, join us in two free webinars and find out more about how international mediation and intercultural business strategies can help you avoid disputes and achieve more success in 2023. Webinars will be conducted in English with Chinese summary.”

The free webinars are:

* Topic: International Mediation Experience Sharing  Date: Wednesday, 25 January 2023 

Time: 1:00 pm 

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAqdeyupjosGNGqHSiJ_w0kgycA7MOVO77t                                   

* Topic: Intercultural Business Strategy

Date: Wednesday, 1 February 2023 

Time: 3:00 pm  

Registration: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0vf-urrjgtGtWvEsPAWxW41Hf16_9svH6d

Wales football boss stops off at Ysgol Dinas Bran

* Rob Page on the pitch at Dinas Bran.

* Above and below: Rob Page watches some pitch action.

* The manager meets a group of fans.

Students and staff at Ysgol Dinas Bran welcomed a celebrity guest earlier today in the shape of Wales football manager Rob Page.

On its Facebook post this afternoon the school says: "Well, what an experience our school football teams have had today.

"We spent the morning with Rob Page where he gave our year 10 team a coaching session and then spent time with all the teams from year 7 to sixth form where he presented to them on his experiences in football and how to deal with setbacks and build resilience to be able to succeed.

"He also spoke about being Welsh and what that means to him. Our students were also given an opportunity to ask him questions. This has been a brilliant experience for the students.

"A big thanks to Mrs Gardner for arranging this opportunity to our students as a thank to them for representing our school.

"Thanks to Rob Page and Steve Williams and all at FAW."

Work starts on new look for Riverside Park

* Contractors have started work on the old mini golf course at Riverside Park.

Work has started on face-lifting facilities at Riverside Park in Llangollen.

A spokesperson for Denbighshire County Council said: “Contractors have just started on site at Riverside Park on building a new nine-hole mini golf course on the site of the old course which was in a state of dis-repair.  

"This is part of the Welsh Government's Brilliant Basics funding to enhance parks and recreational spaces which was obtained successfully last year by the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB and supported by Llangollen Community Parks project and Denbighshire County Council’s StreetScene.

“As part of the funding, work will also start on some green infrastructure work and adding new play provision for 5-12 year olds."

Four Great Highways project gets wider public consultation

The £1.25m scheme to improve links between the four famous ‘highways’ that run through the heart of Llangollen is going out to wider public consultation.

Following on from the recent online question-and-answer sessions for what is known as the Four Great Highways project a questionnaire has now been launched paper copies of which will also be available at Llangollen Library and responses to the questions can also be e-mailed direct to fourgreathighways@denbighshire.gov.uk

The project was given the go-ahead by Denbighshire County Council following a successful application to the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund (LUF).

The aim is to enhance the public spaces that connect Llangollen Canal, the old Ruabon to Barmouth Railway line, the River Dee and A5 Holyhead Road. 

As the first phase of a public consultation exercise four members of the project team – the council’s project managers Sian Lloyd Price and Kimberley Mason along with design expert Daniel Smith and landscape specialist Chris Brinnington from consultancy firm Burroughs & The Urbanists - recently held three separate half-hour Microsoft Teams sessions yesterday.

The first for local residents attracted around 10 participants, about four businesses were at the second and the third, for everyone else, was attended solely by llanblogger’s Phil Robinson.

Total budget for the project, which has received substantial help from Levelling Up, is around £1.25m and work is expected to be completed by March of 2024, they said.

A spokesperson for the project team said: "At this stage of the consultation we are seeking people’s early views on the four areas we have proposed for improvement.  These views will then be used to inform designs which we will share for further consultation before Easter. 

"Details of future engagement sessions will be shared on our website in due course, this will include a walkabout of the project areas with our design team in early February.  

"Further information regarding these site visits will be confirmed and promoted on our social media pages and website towards the end of the week."

* The consultation questionnaire can be seen via Denbighshire’s County Conversations engagement portal at:

Cymraeg: Ymgynghoriad Pedair Priffyrdd Fawr 

English: Four Great Highways Consultation

County Council launches new volunteering project

Denbighshire County Council are launching a new project this month, with the hope of improving the mental health and well-being of individuals living in the area. 

The Edge of Care team are looking for volunteers to get involved in their new project. 

Volunteering could include meeting individuals face-to-face, over the phone or by attending social groups together. 

The opportunities may be suited to students who require volunteering experience within mental health or for those who have some free time and want to support others in their community. 

Cindy Elliott, Team Leader said: “There are many volunteering opportunities available which are suited to a range of abilities, but essentially we are hoping to improve the mental health and well-being of others through reducing isolation and improving socialisation."

The council says that if you decide to volunteer, the team will try to match you with someone who shares similar interests. 

You can volunteer on days and times that are convenient to you and suit your existing commitments, with training provided to help you feel confident in your new volunteering role.

Councillor Elen Heaton, Lead Member for Health and Social Care said: “This is a brilliant service if you are looking to gain valuable volunteering experience. Why not start this new year in a meaningful way by helping someone improve their well-being and mental health.”

* For more information, please go to: https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/edge-of-care

 

Former Llangollen churchwoman becomes a bishop

* Mary Stallard, new Bishop of Llandaff.

A churchwoman well known to the people of Llangollen will be the next Bishop of Llandaff.

The Rt Revd Mary Stallard, one of the first women to become a priest in Wales, had been the Assistant Bishop in Bangor.

For a number of years she lived in Llangollen where her husband, the Revd Andrew Sully, was Vicar based at St Collen's.

She was elected Bishop of Llandaff by the Electoral College of the Church in Wales on the second day of its meeting at Llandaff Cathedral.

The announcement was made at the west door of the Cathedral by the Archbishop of Wales, Andrew John, after Bishop Mary secured the necessary two-thirds majority vote.

Archbishop Andrew said: “Bishop Mary has served the Diocese of Bangor with enormous energy, faithfulness and joy. It is a huge privilege for us now to be able to pass her to the Diocese of Llandaff where we know she will bring all of the gifts that she has shown us. We are so delighted for her.”

Bishop Mary said: “It is a real privilege to receive this new call which I will do my very best to live up to faithfully.”

Bishop Mary’s election will be formally confirmed at a Sacred Synod service in April. She will be enthroned as the 73rd Bishop of Llandaff at Llandaff Cathedral shortly afterwards.

The election follows the retirement at the end of December of June Osborne, who served as Bishop of Llandaff from 2017.

Llandaff Diocese serves nearly half the population of Wales as it includes most of Cardiff, the South Wales valleys and the Vale of Glamorgan.

Originally from Birmingham, Bishop Mary grew up in a vicarage. Her father was a vicar and her mother a scientist which meant she was raised in a home where asking questions about life and faith was encouraged.

Mary read theology at Selwyn College, Cambridge and studied to be a teacher in London before training for ministry at Queen’s College, Birmingham and Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary in India.

Among the first women to be ordained as a priest in the Church in Wales in 1997, Mary served her curacy in Newport, before moving to the Diocese of St Davids as deacon-in-charge and vicar of Ysbyty Cynfyn, Eglwys Newydd and Llantrisant. 

In 2003, she was appointed Canon Residentiary at St Asaph Cathedral and Bishop’s Chaplain, serving also as Diocesan Director of Ordinands and Chair of the Diocesan Board of Ministry, and as Provincial Selection Secretary.

From 2011 to 2018 Mary served as Anglican Chaplain at St Joseph’s Catholic & Anglican High School, as well as being an Associate Priest in the Wrexham Mission Area. She was also co-director of the St Giles’ Centre for Religious Education & Faith Development in Wrexham.

She became Archdeacon of Bangor and associate priest of Llandudno in 2018. In January last year, Mary was appointed Assistant Bishop in Bangor and consecrated as a bishop in February.

Mary’s substantial broadcasting ministry has seen her appear on BBC Radio Cymru as a leader of Yr Oedfa and contributor to Bwrw Golwg, on BBC Radio Wales’s All Things Considered, Celebration, Wednesday Word and Weekend Word, and on Radio 4 as a leader of The Daily Service and Sunday Worship and as the author and presenter of Prayer for the Day.

She and Andrew Sully, who is now of  Ministry Area Leader of Llandudno, have two grown-up daughters. Her hobbies include cooking, reading and running.

Electric vehicle charging points will be 'working by the spring'

* The two Pavilion car park charging points.

* One of the two charging points on the Market Street car park.

Llangollen's two new electric vehicle charging points will be up and running by the spring, according to the county council.

The points - two on the Market Street and another pair on the Pavilion car parks - are already in place but not yet operational.

And a spokesperson for Denbighshire County Council said: “The current work to install and also commission electric vehicle charging points at eight of our public car parks, including Market Street and Pavilion car parks at Llangollen, is expected to be completed this spring in time for the start of the tourism season across Denbighshire.

“Once live, there will be two dual 22 kW AC stations in each Llangollen car parks available to use by residents and visitors with the ability to charge four vehicles.”

The charging point installation aims to open up possibilities for people to transition to an electric vehicle where they didn’t previously have access to a charging facility. 

It is a part of the county council’s action to tackle climate change following the declaration of a Climate and Ecological Emergency in 2019 and adoption of the Climate and Ecological Change Strategy in 2021.

Other electric vehicle initiatives are involved in the council’s goal to meet the target of a net carbon zero council by 2030.

* Details of the local installations are:

Market St Car Park	Llangollen	LL20 8RB	2 x dual 22 kW AC (ability to charge 4 vehicles)
Pavilion Car Park, National Pavilion	Llangollen	LL20 8SW	2 x dual 22 kW AC (ability to charge 4 vehicles)

Town councillor gives update on Newbridge Road repairs

* The damaged B5605 Newbridge Road.

A Chirk town councillor has given an update on long-awaited work to repair a vital link road which has been closed for almost two years.

Newbridge Road was shut as a result of a landslide caused by severe storms in February 2021, leaving motorists heading between Chirk and Cefn Mawr no alternative but to use a long diversion route.

Early last year it was announced work to repair the collapsed carriageway of the B5605 could get under way after the Welsh Government announced further major funding of £2.8m to Wrexham Council which is responsible for the repair. 

The Welsh Government had already awarded Wrexham Council £175,000 for ground investigation and detailed design of remedial works.

There has since been no definite word on the repairs.

But earlier this week Chirk town councillor Gareth Baines posted on his Facebook page: “Many have asked recently about the delayed repairs to the B5605 Newbridge Road.

“WCBC (Wrexham Council) expect tenders to be returned within a month and for the road to be repaired before the end of 2023.

“The road is being regularly monitored for further signs of deterioration.”

Latest county council weather update

In its latest weather update, issued earlier this afternoon (Wednesday) the county council says:

"Snow showers are set to continue, these falling as a mix of rain and hail near coasts, and sleet and snow inland at times, mainly overnight. Ice will continue to be an issue following any showers.

"This will lead to some temporary snow accumulations at lower levels, whilst higher ground across the county could see further accumulations of between 2-5 cm of snow, although ice will be the main hazard. 

"A Met Office yellow weather warning has subsequently been re-issued and the warning period extended, which is now effective from Wednesday 18 January 12:00hrs through until Thursday 19 January 12:00hrs.

"DCC gritting teams will continue to focus on maintaining the primary road network and resources will continue to be deployed to salt all priority gritting routes throughout this period. Agricultural snow plough contractors have been deployed across the county to clear the worst affected rural routes.

"Residents and road users are advised to only undertake essential travel and allow extra time for any journeys that are necessary and to take extra care due to the slushy and icy conditions.

"Further updates will be provided. In the event of any emergency situation requiring an immediate response, contact should be made directly with Denbighshire Customer Services or via the Galw Gofal out of hours contact centre on 0300 123 3068."

 

 

Police issue warning about online selling scams

North Wales Police Community Alerts has issued a warning about online fraud.

It says: "Since the 1st of January 2023 North Wales Police have received 21 reports of victims selling items online and not receiving payment, totalling a loss of over £10,600. 

"Criminals are using a number of methods and are targeting those selling high value items such as mobile phones, tablets and laptops. 

"In some cases, the victims receive a fake email from Paypal claiming the payment has been made and the victim is then urged to send the sold item to the suspect in the post, only to find that no monies have actually been paid and all contact with the buyer is blocked. 

"In other cases, suspects have attended the victims home address and pretended to make payment using a fake banking app or using forged bank notes to pay before leaving with the goods. 

"Anyone selling items online are urged to ensure that payment is made in full prior to parting with any goods. If using Paypal, check the payment has been made using the app and do not agree to use the Friends and Family option as there is no protection offered with this service."

County council puts out message about waste collection

Denbighshire County Council has put out a message about waste collection in the present wintry weather conditions on its social media page this afternoon (Tuesday).

It says: "Due to the adverse weather conditions at the moment, it may not be possible for Denbighshire County Council to collect household waste on your usual collection day.

"We are asking that if your bin is not emptied on your usual collection day, that you present your containers by 7am the following day, and we will empty them as soon as we can."