Latest news with #Holyhead
BBC News
18-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Holyhead Port to reopen fully after Storm Darragh damage
One of UK's busiest ports will fully reopen on Friday, seven months after a berth was shut due to damage caused by a car ferry docking during a berths at Holyhead, the UK's second busiest passenger port, were damaged in two separate incidents hours before the height of a rare red weather wind warning that battered Wales in port was closed for five weeks, including at Christmas and new year, as engineers fixed one of the damaged berths before Holyhead partially reopened in January and services resumed to a revised other berth has taken seven months to repair and reopened on Friday with the economic impact of the closures an estimated £500m in lost trade. "It's the busiest time of year and is really important and timely," said Wales' First Minister Eluned comes as schoolchildren in Wales will finish their term within the next few days while most Republic of Ireland schools have already closed for the than 1.5m people pass through Holyhead every year making it the most popular sea route between the UK mainland and the Republic of Ireland. Why did Holyhead Port close? Holyhead's operators have said its closure was after successive ferries made "contact" with berthing terminals at the port just before the height of Storm Darragh in December incidents shut both of Holyhead's terminals because of the "interconnecting nature" of the support structures as the terminals run parallel to each blocked the busiest and shortest route between the UK mainland and Republic and Ireland over the busy Christmas and new year 40-day closure, before one berth reopened on 16 January, caused chaos for passengers and truck drivers using the four daily services of both Stena Line and Irish Ferries as people and freight had to find alternative routes over the Irish Sea. A boss of Stena Line, which runs the port, gave evidence to a Welsh Parliament committee and said berths were designed to "take contact but very slow-speed contact"."These contacts, maybe of a different magnitude, happen all the time," Stena's head of UK Ports Ian Davies told the Senedd's Economy and Trade port or ferry companies say they would not elaborate on how these specific contacts closed the port despite both the Welsh and UK governments asking."Those incidents are now subject to an insurance claim and I can give no further details without prejudicing that insurance claims at this time I'm afraid," Mr Davies told the UK Parliament's Welsh Affairs Committee earlier this chair Ruth Jones MP replied: "That is very frustrating for us but, obviously, we understand where you are coming from." When Mr Davies was before the Welsh Parliament's economy committee, he was asked by chair Andrew RT Davies was it "not necessarily the storm caused the damage, but the actual seamanship?"Mr Davies replied to the Senedd committee: "All we can say is there's an ongoing investigation into the actual cause, and part of that is a claim going on." Ferries that use Holyhead include the 50,000-tonnes Ulysses, which was the world's largest car ferry when it launched in terminal five reopened on 16 January and the port has been able to operate its normal daily number of sailings - eight arrivals and eight to accommodate that, both Irish Ferries and Stena Line had to adjust their timetables to synchronise arrivals and departures at the only operational told the Senedd the damage had happened to part of terminal three, which is "predominantly" used by Irish the port operators or the ferry companies would confirm who was taking action against whom. Both Stena Line and Irish Ferries have both declined to berthing incidents happened during Storm Darragh - but before the red weather warning for wind kicked in at 03:00 GMT on 7 to Met Office data, three of the UK's five strongest gusts during Storm Darragh were in north included wind speeds of 79mph (127km/h) at Valley - about eight miles (13km) inland from Holyhead - which is the highest recorded gust on Anglesey for 27 years. The Health and Safety Executive did not investigate the incidents, while the Marine Accident Investigation Branch made some "preliminary enquiries" into the "maritime aspects" of the added in a statement: "The information gathered does not indicate any significant safety issues that would necessitate further investigation at this time."Mr Davies said there was a "onward-going investigation" about the incidents and the port and ferry operators would review what happened once Holyhead was fully reopened. Why has it taken so long to fully reopen Holyhead? Seven months may seem like a long time without half of its berthing capacity but port bosses explained replacing Holyhead's damaged infrastructure was complex."The berths are a series of very large steel pile structures... roughly 2m (6ft 7in) in diameter and 50m (164 ft 1in) in total length and driven into the seabed," Mr Davies of Stena explained in his Senedd evidence. He said the affected structure on terminal three "partially collapsed and had fallen at an angle" so engineers needed to charter specialist barges to get to the site and remove the fallen 120-tonne needed to design, order, check and fit their new pile and its associated mechanisms."It was hoped we could replace the pile in the same pile socket, like replacing a false tooth, but that was not possible," added Mr have had to drive the new pile into the sea bed and test before declaring the berth ready for passenger ferries."To be frank, seven months is a short amount of time," said maritime expert Dr Stavros Karamperidis. "The analogy is having a car accident, insurance companies investigate and might offer money, the other company might dispute that and it goes back and forth."I'm sure the authorities have all the information but you can't give that publicly," added Dr Karamperidis, head of Plymouth University's maritime transport research group. How important is Holyhead Port? At just over 100 miles (161km) between Holyhead and Dublin, the three-hour and 15 minute crossing from north Wales is the quickest route between the UK mainland and the Republic of more than 400,000 lorries and 400,000 cars a year using it every year, Holyhead is the second busiest passenger ferry port to is Wales' biggest international transport hub with almost double the amount of annual passengers of Wales' only major airport in Cardiff. "It is one of the large corridors that connects Wales and the UK to Ireland because of the shortness and frequency of the crossing," Mr Davies told Parliament."It adds a dynamic, especially to the just-in-time logistics industry, which perhaps other corridors do not have. I cannot overemphasise how important it is. It is critical."He added night ferries could create freight lorry convoys of up to three miles (5km) long, such is the strategic importance to both the UK and Republic of Ireland."Holyhead is a huge economic driver for us here in Ireland because so much of our exports by sea go through Holyhead into the UK," said Irish government Minister Sean Canney. He said more than a third of roll-on, roll-off traffic traffic to the Republic of Ireland came through Holyhead, emphasising the importance part of another country is to his nation."Both countries rely on Holyhead for stuff coming in and out between the UK and Ireland, it's a huge vein across the Irish Sea," added estimate the economic impact of Holyhead Port and its supply chain in north Wales is more than £100m a year with 1,000 jobs locally relying on it. Bangor University's senior economics lecturer Edward Jones also told Parliament an "additional 1,600 to 1,700 jobs at a national level is dependent" on Holyhead.A Senedd Committee heard in April the value of trade going through Holyhead during the complete closure was almost £500m less than the year the Welsh and Irish government also hoped everyone involved could "learn lessons" on how they react to incidents like this.
BBC News
14-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Holyhead port full reopening delayed again after storm damage
The full reopening of one of Britain's busiest ports has been delayed again the day before it was due to berths at Holyhead, which links north Wales and Dublin, were damaged on 7 December during Storm Darragh, affecting thousands of travellers and parcel deliveries over Christmas, as well as businesses in the berth reopened on 15 January, while the second, Terminal 3, was originally set to reopen on 1 July. However, Stena Line, which owns the port, has announced Terminal 3 will reopen on Saturday due to "adverse weather conditions" delaying the final repairs. Stena Line and Irish Ferries have been running their regular four daily services from a single berth, rather than the usual two.A temporary timetable for the partial reopening has been operating while the second berth is being traders in Holyhead said they had seen a huge drop in footfall and earnings since the damage to the port, which sees two million passengers a year and 1,200 lorries and trailers crossing every day. Stena Line said: "We sincerely appreciate our customers patience and understanding, and we apologise for any inconvenience caused."
BBC News
11-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Ketamine 'epidemic' warning as Anglesey man reveals daily pain
Every day, 25-year-old Ethan Humphreys lives with the physical pain that reminds him of what ketamine has cost him - his health."The first side effect was the cramps, where I'd get just bad stomach pains, where I couldn't lie down properly [or] sit down properly," said Ethan, who started taking ketamine when he was that was just the start, with endless hospital trips to follow as Ethan's kidneys struggled to function and the mental challenges mounted as he dealt with the drug-induced he is on a mission to help others, as experts warn of an emerging epidemic of addiction to the powerful Class B drug. "I'm trying to show that there's a light at the end of the tunnel," said Ethan, ahead of a meeting of the ketamine recovery group he has organised in his hometown of Holyhead, Anglesey."I want this place to be a group where people can come in and just speak how they want. It doesn't matter if they've been struggling through the week and they want to hide it away. "The ego gets left at the door in this place."Ethan is celebrating six months since he kicked his ketamine habit, after a second - and he hopes successful - stint in rehabilitation."My mum was at breaking point," he said."The rest of my family had stopped speaking to me. It was just make or break for me." Addiction specialists say Ethan's story is familiar, with a huge increase in referrals for ketamine related to a paper published in the British Medical Journal in June, more than 3,600 people across the UK were being treated for ketamine addiction in 2023 and is up eight-fold from a decade earlier, with 426 treatment cases in 2013-14. What is ketamine? Sometimes referred to as ket, Special K or just K, ketamine is a powerful horse tranquilliser and anaesthetic. It is a licensed drug and can be prescribed medicallyWhen misused, it can cause serious and sometimes permanent damage to your bladder and liver, as well as memory lossIt is currently a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971The penalty for possession is up to five years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both Ethan was first rushed to hospital back in 2022, when the real effects of his ketamine addiction began to reveal themselves."You can't pass urine and then that leads into blood in your urine, and in the later stages, my kidneys and my liver function stopped working properly," he said."I had to isolate myself because I was going to the toilet every two minutes, walking in pain."I lost a lot of weight. "So it just strips you really, in some sense, like strips you down to your bone."I had to plan my day around if I could get to the toilet or not. Even walking to the shop was a bit of a task in itself. It was just really hard." 'I couldn't recognise the person I was' The physical challenges were only half of the battle for Ethan."The depression side of it, it just took over in the end. I didn't want to live. I couldn't care if I died the next day," he said."I used to think I was a waste of space. I couldn't recognise the person I was in the end."I couldn't eat. I couldn't hold a meal down. It was really hard in the end."After spending six months on a waiting list, he was accepted for residential rehab at a centre in Greater Manchester. "When I was up in Manchester, a ketamine group, an education support group got started up there, where I attended the group and it really helped," he explained."I sort of took the idea myself. So that's what I mean to do and sort of try and target the people who are struggling around Wales." Cheryl Williams, who works in a north Wales rehabilitation centre, has been raising awareness of ketamine issues alongside the sister of drag artist James Lee Williams, better known as The performer, who grew up in Colwyn Bay, was the first winner of Ru Paul's Drag Race in 2019, and was discovered dead in January following a cardiac arrest brought on by the drug."I would say we are on the verge of an emerging ketamine epidemic," said Ms Williams, who is a strategic lead for the recovery charity Adferiad at its Parkland Place Rehabilitation said many of the referrals were coming from young people - often under-18."I think it has become so cheap and available for children to use. It's more of an issue," she Williams said Ethan's decision to start a recovery group on Anglesey had to be commended."The more that people talk about that they've had a ketamine problem, that they've overcome it and how they've overcome it - I'm a very big advocate for peer support and lived experience," said Ms Williams."Who else better to tell their story than someone who has been through it."Ethan still struggles with kidney pain on a daily basis, but does feel he is on the has gained weight since rehab and visits the gym every said his bladder problems had also improved, as well as his mental health, and he had been able to rebuild relationships with family."My mum has always stood by me but you can see how much I was causing pain for her. So now we're best friends again," he said his focus now was on helping others."It's massive for me, honestly, and that's my passion now." If you have been affected by this story the BBC Action Line has a list of organisations which are ready to provide support and advice.
Sky News
24-06-2025
- Business
- Sky News
Post-Brexit border control post in Wales to sit empty
A £51m border control post built to handle post-Brexit checks on imports will sit empty for now, Wales's deputy first minister said. Huw Irranca-Davies said the facility at Parc Cybi near the port of Holyhead in Anglesey was commissioned last year to follow the post- Brexit requirements of border controls on imports, including live animals and goods such as food, from the EU. The facility received £44m in funding from the UK government, and the border control post (BCP) is now nearing completion. It is set to be handed over to the Welsh government in the autumn. But the post will sit empty for now following an announcement by the UK government that it was set to negotiate with the EU to exempt many imports of live animals and goods from sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks at the border, according to Mr Irranca-Davies. He said the Welsh government was committed to "ensuring an acceptable level of biosecurity protection over the interim period whilst the agreement is negotiated and implemented". Although physical and identity checks on imports from the EU began in April 2024, Mr Irranca-Davies highlighted that no start date for SPS checks on imports from Ireland has been announced. "I have decided not to proceed with the final commissioning and staffing of the Holyhead BCP, and not to take forward construction of BCPs at Fishguard and Pembroke Dock," Wales's deputy first minister said in a statement. Mr Irranca-Davies added that he will "keep that decision under review until the final details of the agreement with the EU are known", at which point longer-term plans for the site would be made. "In the meantime, it is crucial that it remains ready and available as a potential BCP facility," he said. Holyhead is the busiest ferry port on the Irish Sea, with over three-quarters of imports to Great Britain from Ireland. Mr Irranca-Davies said the Welsh government remains committed to providing sufficient notice for traders and delivery partners "should any new border checks need to be introduced".
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Post-Brexit border control post in Wales to sit empty
A £51m border control post built to handle post-Brexit checks on imports will sit empty for now, Wales's deputy first minister said. Huw Irranca-Davies said the facility at Parc Cybi near the port of Holyhead in Anglesey was commissioned last year to follow the post-Brexit requirements of border controls on imports, including live animals and goods such as food, from the EU. The facility received £44m in funding from the UK government, and the border control post (BCP) is now nearing completion. It is set to be handed over to the Welsh government in the autumn. But the post will sit empty for now following an announcement by the UK government that it was set to negotiate with the EU to exempt many imports of live animals and goods from sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks at the border, according to Mr Irranca-Davies. UK-EU trade deal: He said the Welsh government was committed to "ensuring an acceptable level of biosecurity protection over the interim period whilst the agreement is negotiated and implemented". Although physical and identity checks on imports from the EU began in April 2024, Mr Irranca-Davies highlighted that no start date for SPS checks on imports from Ireland has been announced. "I have decided not to proceed with the final commissioning and staffing of the Holyhead BCP, and not to take forward construction of BCPs at Fishguard and Pembroke Dock," Wales's deputy first minister said in a statement. Mr Irranca-Davies added that he will "keep that decision under review until the final details of the agreement with the EU are known", at which point longer-term plans for the site would be made. "In the meantime, it is crucial that it remains ready and available as a potential BCP facility," he said. Read more from Sky News:Review: UK must 'actively prepare' for potential warBadenoch offers to help PM defeat Labour welfare rebellion Holyhead is the busiest ferry port on the Irish Sea, with over three-quarters of imports to Great Britain from Ireland. Mr Irranca-Davies said the Welsh government remains committed to providing sufficient notice for traders and delivery partners "should any new border checks need to be introduced".
