Public Protection in Ammanford

CARMARTHENSHIRE’S executive board member for environmental and public protection has praised council officers for their successful work in the Ammanford area.

Cllr Jim Jones said he was impressed with the wide range of enforcement work carried out for the benefit of residents – with officers often able to sort out problems without having to resort to court action.

The work has included test purchasing exercises to prevent sales of alcohol to under age children.

Trading Standards Service officers used under age youngsters to attempt under age purchases of alcohol and there were no sales.

A number of Planning Consultations have also been dealt with, ensuring that the activities associated with development do not adversely impact on the lives of nearby residents. In relation to the night-time economy, several enforcement initiatives have been carried out during the night times into early hours of the morning, to ensure that licensed premises comply with their premises license, and that they are working within the law.

Animal Health Officers have carried out a range of work in the Ammanford area including a prosecution relating to poor welfare conditions for farm animals in Llandyfan which resulted in guilty pleas, two cases being prepared on the welfare of farm animals, an investigation into cruelty to farm animals, investigations of allegations of improper disposal of animal carcasses and an investigation of alleged illegal activities at an animal sanctuary.

The Public Health Services Section has intervened in approximately 60 noise related complaints since April 1 last year. Early engagement in these issues has avoided the need to take formal action, with complaints being resolved amicably. The problems ranged from industrial processes to domestic issues.

Air quality monitoring within the Ammanford region is ongoing, and the Section continues to maintain and protect good air quality for its residents and visitors. This is also helped by effectively regulating the nine industrial processes that require a Permit to operate within this area, due to their potential for producing emissions that are released to air.

There are no pressing air quality issues in the Ammanford area and the role of officers is to protect the good air quality.

The Public Health Team has been involved in over 80 cases in the Ammanford area. Officers have dealt with the majority informally, but have served 11 legal Notices during the investigations.

Officers have also undertaken night time visits to the area following concerns of vermin in the town centre, but no evidence has been found to suggest any particular problems.

Ammanford and the surrounding wards are also patrolled proactively by the dog warden service, and Ammanford is on the list for promotional dog chipping events to be held in the next few months. This service is free for residents in Carmarthenshire.

Cllr Jim Jones said: “There is a lot more to the enforcement role of our officers than successful prosecutions although these are important in dealing with issues and deterring others.

“Our greatest successes come from preventing problems in the first place or dealing with them quickly before there is a need to take enforcement action. I am very impressed with the wide range of work being carried out by our officers to protect the wellbeing of the residents of Ammanford and the surrounding area.”