Shane Brennan

Six pregnant sheep were left dead in a shocking dog attack at a popular tourist spot.

Pupils across Denbighshire are having to go to school in buildings that are not up to top standards.

Domestic abuse  is on the rise in Denbighshire.

A quarry that will be used to build a controversial wind farm will go before Denbighshire’s planning committee next week.

Concerns about anti-social behaviour at a beauty spot have led to the calling of a public meeting to discuss the problem. Residents in Trefriw raised their fears about people leaving litter and lighting fires at Llyn Geirionnydd near the village. At last week’s Trefriw Community Council meeting, local county councillor Tomos Dewi Jones said there had been a problem with anti-social behaviour by some tourists and locals in the area. Some of the land where the issues have occurred is run by Natural Resources Wales. John Taylor, North West Recreation Team Leader for Natural Resources Wales, said: “The environment in Wales, including the sites we manage, provides some fantastic opportunities for people to get outside and enjoy the beauty of the natural environment, right on their doorstep. “Unfortunately, we have had incidents recently where people have lit fires, left rubbish and caused some damage. This spoils the area for other people and can harm local wildlife. “We will be attending the public meeting in Trefriw to discuss the issues and help tackle the problem. “Our wardens are also patrolling the site every day and talking to people about how we all need to help look after these special places for the future.” Aberconwy AM Janet Finch-Saunders said: “Police and the local authority have a duty to ensure that this kind of anti-social behaviour is addressed. “People with concerns must report such incidents directly to the police, and I would recommend keeping a log sheet of occurrences to ensure a clear audit trail of requests for action made to the local authority and North Wales Police. “This is a beautiful tourism spot, and our local economy relies so heavily on visitors coming to enjoy our stunning scenic areas, so this is a concern which the relevant bodies must seriously work to address.  “I regret that I am unable to attend the public meeting due to prior Assembly commitments.” A spokeswoman for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: “We are aware of the issues highlighted and we are in contact with those raising the concerns.” It is understood representatives from other bodies including the county council and North Wales Police will be attending the meeting. It will take place at Trefriw Village Hall on Thursday, July 12, starting at 7.30pm.

Councillors are expected to rubber stamp a farmer’s plans for extra income. Members of the Conwy Council planning committee meeting on Wednesday will look at plans for a camping site on a farm near Llangernyw. Last month councillors voted to approve the plans for the five camping cabins at the rural site. They went against the recommendations of planning officers meaning there had to be a cooling off period of a month before councillors could ratify their decision. The application proposed the siting of five camping cabins over three areas of the site, with the first being adjacent to the junction off the B5384 and two other sites closer to the main house at the farm at at Cefn Ffynnon, Pandy Tudur, Llangernyw. Three families live at the site and money generated from the project would supplement their farming income. But officers before last month’s planning meeting had recommended the plans be rejected. They wrote in a report: “The application is contrary to Local Development Plan tourism policies which set a presumption against new tourism accommodation proposals in the Rural Strategy Area. There are no exceptional circumstances to justify and outweigh the harm caused by the conflict with the Council’s long term tourism development policies and to justify a departure from planning policy.” Sara Thomas speaking in favour of her family’s application for permission at last month’s meeting said: “This proposal is essential to our family farm to give an income. In the past two years the farm has gone from supporting one family to supporting three. We are very keen to diversify to gain an additional income because the farm at the moment is not generating enough income to support us. “There have been no local concerns or objections in fact you can see that we have the backing of the local community council as well as letters of support from neighbours and local businesses. Many people have expressed their dismay that we as a young rural family who want to work, contribute and stay in the local community are finding it so difficult to gain support for our proposal because of wording in the planning policy which is unclear.” Councillors on the committee voted unanimously in favour of granting permission. At this week’s meeting they will be asked to confirm they are happy for the plans to go ahead.

DISABLED drivers who are charged for parking in Denbighshire car parks will get an extra hour for free after a long campaign by a county councillor.

A North Wales council will set up a board to improve internet connections across the county.