House fire has tragic consequences

 

* Firefighters at the scene of the tragic fire in Chapel Street last night.

The Leader’s online news site Leaderlive reported just after midnight that a man in his seventies has sadly died following the house fire in Llangollen reported on by llanblogger late last night. 

The story says that firefighters were called to the blaze on Chapel Street at 8.42pm last night. 

It adds: “Firefighters from Llangollen, Chirk, Johnstown, Corwen and Wrexham attended the incident and firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the property using hose reel jets to extinguish the fire and carry out a search for casualties.

“The crews found a casualty who was sadly later pronounced dead.

“A joint investigation is now being carried out into the cause of the fire by North Wales Fire and Rescue Service and North Wales Police.”

The man who passed away has not been officially named.

 

Fire crews tackle major blaze in Chapel Street

* Firefighters pump water onto the burning building from the Hand car park.

* Above and below: Fire crews hose water onto the burning building from the Chapel Street side.

Fire crews are currently tackling a major fire at a property in Chapel Street, Llangollen.

It is understood the blaze began at around 8.30pm.

At least four fire appliances are at the scene and firefighters, a number equipped with breathing apparatus, are tackling it with hose-reels from Chapel Street while others, using a high monitor are pouring on water from the Hand Hotel car park.

It is not known whether anyone is inside the burning building.

Police have closed off Chapel Street and the hotel car park and thick smoke has been billowing down Regent Street.    

Latest update on coronavirus at Llangollen Fechan care home

Denbighshire County Council says in its latest update on Coronavirus at Llangollen Fechan Care Home that there has been one further death, taking taking the total since the beginning of this incident to 21.

The statement adds: "There have been no new positive coronavirus tests amongst residents and two members of staff, resulting in a total of 60 residents and 42 staff.

"The Incident Management Team (IMT), comprises of Denbighshire County Council, Public Health Wales and BetsiCadwaladr University Health Board

"These organisations are still working together with the owners of the home to co-ordinate the response. It will take time for the impact of this work to bring this incident fully under control.

"Co-chair of the IMT, Nicola Stubbins, said: “Control measure are starting to have an impact with numbers of infections and deaths reducing. Even so we are still very sad to report this additional death, and to report that there are still residents who are very unwell.

“It is still the case that residents in Llangollen Fechan and other settings, already vulnerable through their age or pre-existing conditions, are more likely to suffer the worst outcomes from this deadly virus. Our thoughts continue to be with all of those affected.

“We expect to see cases in other settings going forward, and we manage any clusters of Coronavirus consistently. 

“Anyone who meets the definition of a contact will be contacted as a routine part of the Test, Trace and Protect process and provided with additional advice for themselves, their household and other contacts. 

“We remind the public that they have a vital role in preventing the spread of Coronavirus.  They can do this by adhering to Welsh Government regulations currently in place in Wales, and by observing social distancing guidelines – that’s staying two metres away from others – and washing hands regularly.”

Travel outside Wales now possible, says story

People in Wales will be able to visit parts of England and Scotland but not all areas, according to a story this morning on the Businesslive website.

Wales's new travel rules have been revealed in the latest coronavirus regulations.

The Welsh Government cabinet met on Wednesday to decide on the latest travel restrictions as England's lockdown came to an end.

Over the past month travel over the border has been banned - except for essential purposes - due to Covid rules in England and Wales. 

Tourism businesses had been pressing for answers from Welsh Government about what regulations would be in place when England's lockdown ended.

Now new coronavirus regulations published by Welsh Government have revealed the new restrictions, says the story.

And it adds: "Under the rules coming into force from Friday at 6pm people will be able to travel between Wales and Tier 1 and Tier 2 areas of England.

"But the regulations bar travel into Tier 3 zones like Manchester - unless it is for work or another essential purpose.

"It means visitors from the Tier 1 and 2 areas of England can now take holidays in Wales.

"When it comes to Scotland people cannot travel from Wales to Level 3 or Level 4 areas of the country - and visitors from those areas cannot come here.

"The whole of Northern Ireland is also restricted as they are currently in a new lockdown."

SM challenges First Minister over "harsh" new Covid restrictions

* Mark Isherwood, Senedd Member for North Wales.

North Wales Member of the Senedd, Mark Isherwood, has challenged the First Minister over his "harsh" new Covid restrictions announced this week, highlighting some of the many messages he has received from constituents objecting to them.

Speaking in the Welsh Parliament, Mr Isherwood quoted North Wales residents and businesses owners who have contacted him since the new restrictions were unveiled on Monday and called on the First Minister to respond to their concerns.

He said: “In England, the proposals for pubs and hospitality are not the same with an absolute ban. It's a tiered approach based upon pragmatic considerations and real evidence.

“Typical amongst the deluge of messages I've received since your announcement are, and I quote, 'I appreciate this is a serious risk to ill or vulnerable people, but the measures put in place are far more worrying’. 

"‘Mr Drakeford has destroyed the well-being of a nation’. 

"‘My family runs two hospitality businesses, and we really can't afford any more restrictions. We have invested so much to make our establishment COVID safe. So, this is a final plea to you - please speak to our First Minister’.

“And perhaps the cruellest blow is to weddings. How do you therefore respond to the bride who wrote to me last Friday, 'I was meant to get married on 30th October and reduced the guest list to 30, but due to the Welsh circuit breaker, our venue closed. We have now pushed it back to 19th December and reduced it to 15 guests. I'm now playing “guess the date I can get married" ’, or to her father, who wrote to me today stating 'My daughter's wedding ruined for the second time!'?”

In his response the First Minister said: “The Member is entirely disingenuous in trying to pretend that restrictions in England are somehow not as strict as they are here in Wales. If you're in tier 3 in England, you will be in a far greater level of restriction than you will be here in Wales. And the position in Wales is as serious as that, and getting more serious by the day.”

Speaking afterwards, Mr Isherwood added: “He had the cheek to accuse me of being ‘disingenuous’, when his disingenuous statements completely misrepresented the situation in England once lockdown lifts there on 2nd December. Whereas almost 60% of people in England will be able to visit pubs and restaurants until last orders at 10pm, with an 11pm curfew, subject to table service (Tier 1) or alcohol being served as part of a meal (Tier 2), he is blanket banning every pub, bar and restaurant in Wales from selling alcohol and forcing them all to shut at 6pm from Friday. 

"He is also wrong to say that the position across Wales is as serious as Tier 3 in England, when the latest ‘cases per 100,000’ figures in Wales (Nov 23-29) show a spectrum ranging from 453.8 in Blaenau Gwent to 30.7 in Conwy.” 

'Return our recycling' campaign looks for local support

* Above and below: The Plas Madoc recycling centre.

A Llangollen resident who has started a campaign for the return of a recycling facility to the Dee Valley has given his version of how the area found itself without one in the first place. 

Phil Jones, who has also started a petition to see recycling brought back, claims that while 13 years have passed since the closure of the old refuse tip at Wenffrwd off the A539 no action has been taken by Denbighshire County Council (DCC) on commitments to look for a replacement site or a joint deal with neighbouring Wrexham for Llangollen residents to use its Plas Madoc recycling centre.

He said: "Are you fed-up with the lack of recycling in the Dee Valley and how did we get here? 

"In 2007, Denbighshire CC closed our recycling site at Wenffrwd without public consultation. 

"The matter was discussed at committee, and officers were tasked to approach Wrexham CBC to negotiate an agreement to give access to the Plas Madoc site for DCC residents who had been deprived of their recycling facility. 

"Although discussions apparently began, Wrexham CBC had an ambitious programme to modernise its recycling sites and also build a new one on Wrexham Industrial Estate. To do so, it closed the Plas Madoc site for six months to rebuild it. 

"It seems that the initial discussions stalled at that point, and our council’s officers never completed the task of negotiating a formal access agreement. 

"No-one can say just how many residents of the Dee Valley continued to use the new facility at Plas Madoc when it reopened, but my guess from speaking to my friends is that every household took their bulky recycling waste to this site ‘on the QT’, being careful not to take waste in DCC labelled bags. 

"If your household did make use of Plas Madoc, we are asking everyone in it - of voting age - to sign our petition. 

"Our county council has served us very poorly by failing to sort out this problem for the last 13 years. It will only take notice if you act now to sign our petition."

He added you can support the campaign by clicking this link (we are not asking for donations): 

https://www.change.org/p/denbighshire-county-council-return-of-recycling-in-llangollen-and-the-dee-valley 

or, paper petitions are available in Watkin & Williams, Lilly Rose, and Gwyn the Butcher, (Fouzi’s might be closed). 

"Every signature counts. Please get your friends and neighbours to sign up and join our mission to reinstate proper recycling in the Dee Valley." 

Covid vaccine rollout to start across Wales

 The first COVID-19 vaccine has been given the go-ahead and the roll-out across Wales will start within a matter of days, the Chief Medical Officer has announced today [Wednesday 2 December]

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has now authorised the first vaccine as safe and effective on the basis of detailed independent expert review of evidence from large scale clinical trials.

The Pfizer Biontech vaccine has become the first to receive MHRA clearance in the UK and 40 million doses of the vaccine will shortly be available for delivery across the UK, with Wales getting its allocation based on population.

The effects of the vaccine may not be seen nationally for many months and the advice on keeping Wales safe remains the same for everyone; keep contacts with other people to a minimum, keep a 2 metre distance from others, wash hands regularly, wear a face covering where required and avoid touching surfaces others have touched, wherever possible.

Approval from the MHRA is the first step of Wales’ roll-out plan, which has seen preparations on-going since May. There are still a number of stages which need to happen before the vaccine reaches those in highest need and is ready for use, but this process is expected to happen over the next week.

These stages include;

• The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) finalising and publishing their guidance for the whole of the UK;
• Finalising training materials for staff and patient information leaflets;
• Training of experienced immunisers for this particular vaccine;
• Final legal frameworks to allow registered health professionals to administer the vaccine to patients need to be authorised by each Health Board in Wales.

The vaccine - which needs to be administered in two doses - will initially be prioritised and available for those aged 80 and over, care home staff and residents and those working within health and social care.

Pfizer Biontech vaccine needs to be stored at ultra-low temperatures. These centres have already been decided by Health Boards and are in the process of being stood-up.

As further supplies become available and additional vaccines receive MHRA approval, a staged approach will see other groups be offered the vaccine, based on risk of serious complications and deaths.

Individuals in the priority groups for a COVID-19 vaccine will receive an invitation from their employer or Health Board providing information about the COVID-19 vaccines, telling them where to go and what to do on the day of their appointment.

People are urged to wait to be invited, which will happen through NHS systems. Please do not ask your pharmacist or GP.

There are plans in place for people who are housebound and for care homes to be vaccinated as soon as safely possible, with the approved vaccine being safely taken to them using a mobile service, once cleared for this purpose.

The development process for coronavirus vaccines has been as stringent as any other but the process in the face of the pandemic has been sped up by prompt, world-wide funding and a reduction in paperwork. The length of the trials have not been shortened, and the usual safety measures remain in place.

The vaccine will not be mandatory and people will be able to choose whether they take up the vaccine or not. Information will be provided to people before vaccination to reassure them about patient safety and robust consent processes will be in place.

The Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Dr Frank Atherton, said:

“It is fantastic to finally say that the first COVID-19 vaccine has been given the green light. We know now that we have a safe and effective vaccine for use across the UK - this is the positive news I and so many across the country have been waiting for.

“All our NHS organisations across Wales have embraced the challenge presented to them and are at the advanced stages of planning for the arrival of a vaccine. We have tested distribution and storage arrangements to ensure we can get vaccine safely to every part of Wales.

“There’s still a few stages we need to work through but once all these safeguards are in place, vaccination can begin. There will only be relatively small amounts of the vaccine at first, those who have been advised as most needing the vaccine first, through approved delivery mechanisms. A full announcement around the timetable for roll-out in Wales will follow in the next few days.”

The First Minister, Mark Drakeford, said:

“Today’s news is a small glimmer of light at the end of what has been a long and dark tunnel.

“We know some people within our communities are much more at risk than others from the serious complications of COVID-19, which is why the new vaccine is being prioritised to protect them first.

“Whilst these first doses are given at fixed sites and occupational settings, and to protect our NHS and social care services, we must all continue to do our bit to prevent the spread of coronavirus: regular hand washing, social distancing, and wearing a face covering where required to protect yourself and others.”

Vice-chair of the COVID-19 Vaccine Programme Board, Richard Roberts from Public Health Wales, said:

“It is a significant achievement that only 9 months after WHO announced the global pandemic that we now have the first safe and effective vaccine available for use in Wales, and other vaccines to follow. Everyone has been preparing for months to deliver the COVID-19 vaccine programme, and it is very exciting that we will be able to begin, once the final steps have been put in place so that the programme can be delivered safely.”