Gwent Gazette
TOUR DE FRANCE COMES TO WALES
THE Tour de France Grand Depart will travel through Wales in 2027. The riders in the world’s most famous cycle race will travel the length of the UK, before moving to France. It’s the first time both the men and women’s races will begin in the same...
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FIRST MINISTER’S LUCKY ESCAPE
First Minister Eluned Morgan has spoken about a plane crash she and her family were involved in while returning to Wales from a holiday in Spain when she was just 11. Mrs Morgan’s mother had to be pulled out unconscious and her brother was left with a...
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DECISION DUE ON INDOOR SNOW PLAN
PLANS for the UK’s largest and longest indoor snow centre are due to be officially decided this week. The indoor ski slope and leisure resort proposal for Merthyr Tydfil will be going back before councillors for approval.
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THOUSANDS FOLLOW ‘REALISTIC’ RUNNER
A WOMAN is running marathons and half marathons for fun after worrying there wasn’t a place for her in the running world. Now Jade Driscoll, pictured, has set up her own running club and her impressive running journey has racked up more than 11,000...
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CLOSURE PLAN PUTS JOBS UNDER THREAT
MORE than 100 jobs could be lost at an aluminium giant’s South Wales manufacturing plant. Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company Norsk Hydro has announced plans to close down five of its European plants, including its site at Bedwas, near...
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HEADTEACHER IS TOP OF THE CLASS
TEACHER Lynn Griffiths, pictured, of Ysgol Gymraeg Caerffili has been recognised as the Gold Winner of the Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 2025 Pearson National Teaching Awards, considered the ‘Oscars’ of the teaching profession. The reveal was...
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SCHOOL CLOSED AS HUNDREDS FALL ILL
A SCHOOL was closed temporarily after hundreds of pupils and staff fell ill. Lee Jarvis, headteacher for St Martin’s School in Caerphilly, announced a short “firebreak” in a letter sent to parents, after “a significant outbreak of flu-like illness”,...
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NEW LATE-NIGHT RAIL SERVICES
RAIL passengers will soon be able to benefit from a series of new services that will see trains run later into the night and earlier in the morning. The changes are part of the South Wales Metro development and are due to be implemented from Sunday,...
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MUM’S LIFE AFTER CANCER DIAGNOSIS
A MOTHER diagnosed with cancer at the age of 29 has told of her determination to make every Christmas special for her young children, saying “you never know if this is your last”. Primary school teacher Amy Isidoro, pictured, had no family history of...
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TEEN ARREST OVER ‘COPYCAT PLOT’
TWO teenage boys, one from Cwmbran, were arrested in separate “copycat” cases for allegedly planning to replicate the horrific crimes of Axel Rudakubana, pictured, who murdered three young girls at a dance class in Southport.
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HERO SAVES SISTER FROM FIREWORK
AN 11-YEAR-OLD boy was hospitalised after he jumped in front of a firework that was heading towards his little sister. Olly was attending a display in Penygarn on Bonfire Night with his family when one of the fireworks fell over and launched into the...
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MAN SET TRAP SO HE COULD STEAL CAR
A 27-YEAR-OLD man set up a “trap” to get his victim to stop and get out his car so that he could steal it, a court heard. Thomas Hunt, inset, of Greenwood Road, Abersychan, Pontypool, has been jailed for six years. He was also disqualified from...
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DEFEND YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW.
Plans for licensed premises in your neighbourhood could be hidden from view if new government proposals for secret alcohol licensing notices get the green light.
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MORE JOB SHARES FOR COUNCILS
MORE collaboration between senior officials at two Gwent councils is poised for approval by elected members. At a Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council meeting this week, councillors will examine a report outlining measures to cement arrangements that...
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RESTRICTIONS ON PHONES IN SCHOOLS
SCHOOLS in Blaenau Gwent have been given the green light to effectively limit the use of mobile phones and digital devices during school hours in a move which has been welcomed by councillors. But the term “ban” proved to be contentious, leading to a...
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THE COLOURFUL LIFE OF A RUGBY LEGEND
ON THE face of it, you might not think a rugby player who won just one cap for Wales would be an obvious candidate for an autobiography. Yet Pontypool legend David Bishop, pictured, was no ordinary player, and the fact he made just the one appearance...
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‘CRITICAL GAPS’ IN FLOODING SUPPORT
COMPENSATION for flooding victims in Wales “fell far short” of covering the true cost of damage and disruption families and businesses faced, a review into two “devastating” winter storms has found.
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BID TO STOP NEW TAKEAWAY FAILS
A HEALTH board and healthy food partnership have failed in their bid to stop a takeaway opening in a town with the unofficial title of Britain’s “fattest town”. Proposals put forward to transform a former beauty salon into a takeaway in Ebbw Vale have...
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INQUEST INTO THE DEATH OF TEENAGER
THERE was an “unacceptable delay” in police breaking into the flat of a young woman who took her own life in her bedroom, a jury concluded at an inquest. The hearing was told Alex Duce, 18, pictured, had taken an overdose a month before she took her...
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SCHOOLS ‘MOVING IN RIGHT DIRECTION’
TOP grades for GCSE results in Wales rose slightly along with all results in the second “normal” exam year since pandemic disruption with an overall pass rate A* to G of 96.9%. Exam results published last Thursday showed that just under one in five...
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Praise for venue once on the brink of closure
A POPULAR venue has been recognised as a top-rated attraction in Wales in Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards for 2025. Blackwood Miners’ Institute was on the brink of closure after the council proposed to withdraw its funding – a controversial...
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FREE BOTTLE OF PEPSI
Family size bottle | T&Cs apply | Subject to availability SEE VOUCHER FOR DETAILS
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MINX COMES HOME AFTER 13 YEARS
A CAT owner was left stunned when her missing pet turned up after 13 years. Jade Yhnell hand-reared Minx the moggy from birth, but the feline went missing, aged five, when Jade moved from Bristol to Tredegar. Incredibly, after more than a decade, the...
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ROBBER LEFT VICTIM ‘TRAUMATISED’
A ROBBER left an employee traumatised after he and another man walked behind the counter and grabbed her before emptying the till of cash. Liam Watts, pictured, and his accomplice carried out the robbery at a service station in Tredegar.
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GARDENER ABUSED CUSTOMERS’ TRUST
A ROGUE landscape gardener wove a web of lies as he took almost £25,000 for work that was either disastrously shoddy or never carried out. Ian Wheeler, pictured, was prosecuted by Torfaen council for criminal offences against customers.
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MAN SEXUALLY ABUSED HORSES
A MAN was caught sexually abusing horses at the stables where he volunteered. Corey Coleman, pictured, accepted he had an “unhealthy interest” in horses after CCTV footage from Ynyscrug livery yard in Tonyrefail revealed a series of disturbing acts.
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BUCKET HATS OFF TO OASIS ARTIST
EBBW Vale-born artist Nathan Wyburn has unveiled his latest work – a huge tribute to Oasis in the centre of Cardiff – just days before the band reunites for the first time on stage in 16 years at the city’s Principality Stadium. Oasis will perform...
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NEW INVESTMENT IN AMBULANCES
A MULTI-MILLIONPOUND investment will see more new modern ambulances responding to emergencies throughout Wales. The new vehicles will be fitted with the latest technology, materials and products, according to the Welsh Government. However, the...
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MAN CRASHED INTO LAMPPOST AT 80mph
A DRIVER under the influence of drugs reached speeds of 120mph during a police chase before crashing into a lamppost, narrowly missing a group of pedestrians. Craig Peacock, pictured, overtook vehicles at 120mph before losing control of the car and...
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‘FOREVER 20’
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‘GREAT WALL’ SET TO BE REPLACED
A HUGE fence put up across a mountain and overlooking a beauty spot is to be replaced after a public backlash. The 6ft-tall steel fence, appeared without warning across the face of Gilwern mountain in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park and close to...
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Farmer knocked over and killed cyclist, aged 92
A FARMER towing a trailer filled with wool knocked over and killed a 92-year-old cyclist on a country road, a court has heard. Malcolm Perry, 72, was driving on an unnamed road known locally as Mountain Road near Pontypridd on the morning of September...
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‘I THINK HOME IS YOURSELF’
AS STEREOPHONICS release their 13th studio album, Make ‘em Laugh, Make ‘em Cry, Make ‘em Wait, Cwmaman frontman Kelly Jones, looks to the band’s future and recalls its turbulent past.
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DRUG-DRIVER FLED AS FRIEND LAY IN WRECK
MAN CRIED IN THE DOCK AS A JUDGE SLAMMED HIM FOR HIS ‘COWARDLY AND DISHONOURABLE’ ACTIONS
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TEMPORARY WATER SUPPLY FOR CANAL
THE Canal & River Trust in Wales has secured an emergency short-term water supply from Welsh Water to prevent the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, from running dry. The canal’s historic water supply from the River Usk was restricted at the end of last...
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FREE£2 SHOP BET VALID ON GRAND NATIONAL SATURDAY
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Two six-week closures for key Valleys railway line
A BUSY railway line is set to face two six-week closures. Transport for Wales (TfW) has announced that the Rhymney valley railway line will soon undergo major enhancements as part of the South Wales Metro project. Work is due to start by the end of...
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DEMOLITION BID FOR EX-MINING BUILDING
PLANS have been lodged to demolish a derelict building associated with the mining industry and turn the site into a park. The application is for the former pit head baths and associated buildings at Prospect Place, Llanhilleth.
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PRESSURE MOUNTS FOR INQUIRY INTO FIRM RUNNING GP SURGERIES
COUNCILLORS UNANIMOUSLY BACK CALLS FOR INQUIRY
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50% OFF YOUR NEWSPAPER – FOR SIX MONTHS* PHARMACIST STOLE DRUGS TO ‘EASE PAIN OF OLD RUGBY INJURIES’
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UNDER-THREAT CARE HOME TO STAY OPEN
THE future of a care home which looked destined for closure has been secured. In September 2024 it was reported how residents and their relatives at Arthur Jenkins Care Home were told it was to close on December 1 and protests were held against the...
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GP FIRM SLAMMED BY POLITICIANS
A PRIVATE firm running GP surgeries has come under fire from First Minister Eluned Morgan over “absolutely unacceptable” reports of staff not being paid. eHarley Street, which took over several Welsh general practices last year, was slammed by...
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Quiz Time
1.Kemi Badenoch's surname has roots in which country? 2.The river Ganges meets the sea in which country? 3.Fiddler's Dram sang about going to which Welsh city? 4.As of 2024, what is said to be the next best selling soft drink in the world after Coke...
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EXPERTS WARN OVER FUTURE FLOODING
FLOODING bosses issued a stark warning as they were grilled by MPs on the problems that hit Wales during Storm Bert, “Climate change is absolutely happening, we are not going to be able to protect everyone,” said Simon Brown of the Met Office.
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XL BULLY CAUSED ‘HORRIFIC’ INJURIES
An XL bully caused “horrific” injuries to a girl as its owner appeared not to be “bothered”, a court heard. Justin Allison, has admitted criminal offences following the dog attack in Nantyglo.
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NEW PLAN FOR COAL TIPS SAFETY
NEW Welsh Government legislation to address the safety issues caused by Wales’ mining past has been introduced. The new Bill could see the creation of an organisation responsible for managing Wales’ disused coal and non-coal tips. The Bill was...
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QUARRY ALLOWED TO EXPAND ITS SITE
PLANS to extend a limestone quarry near Tredegar and give the operators an extra five years to remove the minerals, have been approved. The applications by Gryphonn Quarries Limited for Trefil Quarry went before Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council’s...
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DAD DIED IN FREAK FALL AT BEAUTY SPOT
A DEVOTED dad died in a freak fall in front of his six-year-old daughter when he fell into a beauty spot pond, an inquest has heard. Decorator Phillip Hill was trying to reach a tree branch for his daughter when he lost his footing and fell around 20ft...
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‘Violent’ former soldier jailed after raping young girl
A FORMER soldier twice raped a young girl. His victim said she will “never know what it’s like to feel peace”. Shannon Newth, 38, also known as Leigh, raped his victim on two occasions when she was under the age of 13. The defendant, from Taff ’s...
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HUNDREDS OF JOBS AT COUNCIL MAY GO
AS MANY as 600 jobs could go at a South Wales council, its leader has warned, as the local authority battles to save a “huge sum” of money. Caerphilly County Council anticipates it will have to save £45m over the next two years to balance its budgets....
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THE DOCTORS DIDN’T THINK I’D SURVIVE HORROR CRASH GRANDMOTHER’S REMARKABLE STORY AFTER CWMBRAN SMASH
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