Latest news with #Rhondda Cynon Taf
The Sun
5 days ago
- Automotive
- The Sun
Popular UK car dealership goes bust leaving customers THOUSANDS out of pocket with axed deliveries and ‘faulty' motors
A POPULAR UK car dealership has gone bust, leaving thousands of loyal customers out of pocket. The closure of the garage has even left some buyers with no car at all. 3 3 3 Resident Trisha Walker got letter from Citroen urging her to stop driving her car - bought from the dealership in Wales - over safety concerns. She took out a loan to buy a replacement, ITV has reported, which she got from SW Valley Motor Company in Hirwaun, Rhondda Cynon Taf. Walker told ITV Wales that someone there had told her if she paid the deposit, he would deliver the car. "If I didn't like the car he would refund me so I paid the deposit which was £750, the car in total was £1,495," she said. "The following day came and what happened? No car." She is among several customers still waiting for resolution. She told the broadcaster that she hasn't slept over the issue. "I've gone 26 hours without sleeping because I'm worried about how I'm going to pay the one back. I feel stupid, stupid for trusting people." But she is not the only one to report a horror story regarding the dealership. Holly Evans and her partner told ITV that they bought a £2,700 set of wheels from there after a test drive. Drivers are 'hit with $600 fees over invisible damage' to rental cars - Hertz is leading the pack as AI up claims But they soon noticed a strange noise and called the garage owner. She said they got their car on the 9th June, and that he came to pick it up on the 16th June. But since then, they haven't seen it again. They said the owner offered "excuse after excuse" - and never returned the vehicle. The couple further told ITV that their experience of this dealership was similar to others when they searched for online reviews. The Sun attempted to reach SW Valley Motor Company for comment. Matthew Peachey, the owner of SW Valley Motor Company Limited, also did not respond to ITV's questions directly, according to the broadcaster. He told them he "lost his business despite trying every which way to save it" and did not "set out to cause anybody any upset". Citroen was also contacted for comment by The Sun. Why are so many car dealerships closing down? By Summer Raemason According to Business Rescue Expert there are multiple reasons why car dealerships are folding across the UK. The first major factor is rising online car sales which are beating in-person sales at dealerships. With an extensive range of comparison and second-hand sites to chose from, may car buyers don't even step foot into a dealership anymore. Secondly, the actual cost to physically run the sites has soared. Rent, wages and energy bills have all been increasing for roughly the past five years, putting many out of pocket. Car manufacturing across the globe was also hit by a semiconductor chip shortage in 2022 which made it difficult to produce new motors. The high demand with limited supply created a backlog, which although has eased, is still having an impact on the industry. A third reason for recent closures is the shift to electric cars. They are becoming more popular, given the Government initiative to be Net Zero in 2050. The industry is also affected when companies merge or are bought by rivals. This may lead to some independent names falling victim to the ongoing spate of closures.
BBC News
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Dog owner 'shocked' by 7st mountain breed
After her previous dog died during Covid, Laura McFarlane wanted to get another rescue dog, finding one online with a "really sad story".Bobby had had a tough start to life following a hernia operation, part of his ear was missing and his tail was also looked to be a cockapoo, a typically small dog, which can grow to 11kg (1.7 stone). But when Laura arrived at the rescue centre, she was surprised to see how big the puppy was."We were like, 'that's not our puppy. It's too big'," said Laura, 43, from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf. A DNA test later revealed that Bobby was not a cockapoo, but instead part Bernese Mountain has since grown to weigh seven stone (45kg). It means Bobby now weighs four times more than she previously expected – and as much as a teenage said that, after collecting Bobby, everywhere they went, he was by far the biggest puppy."We've taken him to a cockapoo café and people have said, 'are you sure he's a cockapoo?'"Others joked that the owners "needed a saddle" for said, because they wanted to be prepared for potential health issues, they did a test to find out what breed he was."It turned out he was a Bernedoodle, a mix between a Bernese Mountain Dog and a poodle – we had a bit of a shock when we found that out," she Mountain Dogs are a Swiss breed, and their large size means they were developed for farm work, including pulling carts and as guard dogs. Bobby weighs about seven stone (45kg), which is roughly the weight of a 13-year-old boy – in contrast, a cockapoo, the breed Laura thought she was originally getting, typically weighs less than a quarter of that."He thinks he's a small dog, so he likes to sit on my lap," she said of some of the challenges of having such a big dog."He's also too heavy to pick up - but we love him to bits. We don't regret it at all," Laura added. She added that Bobby had also had some viral success on social media in recent days."I'm usually posting pictures of him on Facebook, and I think my family was getting pretty bored, so I posted him on TikTok and he went viral – people loved him," Laura said.
BBC News
21-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Campaign to save Cwm Rhondda chapel for community
A campaign to save a historic chapel where the hymn Cwm Rhondda was first sung has raised almost half the funds last service was held at Capel Rhondda in Hopkinstown, near Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, in December 2024 after the number or people attending services the Grade II listed chapel has put up for sale by the Welsh Baptist Union with a price tag of £47,000, with the group saying it hopes buyers can help bring a "new chapter" for the locals concerned that the chapel might be lost to a property developer want to save it as a community space. Cwm Rhondda, also known and Bread of Heaven, was first sung at Capel Rhondda just before Christmas in was composed by John Hughes to celebrate the chapel's new organ, which can still be found in the Rhian Hopkins, who grew up in Hopkinstown, said the building was "incredibly important to the history of Wales"."We seem to have the support of lots of other people in the community, as well as people from all over Wales," she said on the crowdfunding page she launched."I followed my heart and put a post on Facebook," she said. "It kind of snowballed." She told BBC Wales she did not want to see the chapel being bought by someone from outside the area."My main fear is that the price of the building is so low, relatively," she said."To a property investor, especially someone outside of the area, that [£47,000] is nothing," she was worried someone might buy it speculatively and that it might remain empty, and would prefer the local community to be able to use in a fairly poor state of repair, it needs work, she said."I wouldn't really want to see it turned into flats," she said. "I don't think that does justice to the history of the building." The Baptist Union has said the decision to sell the building was not taken lightly. A deadline had been set for 18 July for potential buyers to bid for the chapel, but the Welsh Baptist Union has extended this to 28 July. By Monday, over £23,300 had been raised, and Ms Hopkins said they were "almost half way towards the asking price after just four days"."We have lots of ideas about how the building can be used going forward but really want to engage with those living in the village to find out what they want and need," Mr Hopkins said on the fundraising said a local musical organisation was keen to be involved, adding that would be "very fitting with Capel Rhondda being the place where Cwm Rhondda was sung for the first time".She hoped to be able to get together with suitable community groups to put together a joint bid. Additional reporting by Owain Evans
BBC News
13-07-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Abercynon railway track damaged in heat as disruption continues
Train travel disruption has continued for a second day after the scorching weather damaged parts of a rail replacement services have been laid on between Pontypridd, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil due to a track defect at Abercynon, Rhondda Cynon for Wales advised passengers on Sunday to check their journey before travelling after services were stopped due to heat damage on recorded its hottest day of the year as Bute Park in Cardiff reached 33.1C on Saturday, while Friday saw a high of 32.7C in Usk, Health Wales has urged "people to take steps to stay well in the heat". Jenifer Baxter, boss of Industry Wales, a Welsh government-owned organisation which advises on the development of economic policy and planning, said the effects of climate change were a "new experience for everybody who's living and working with infrastructure in the UK, so we have to kind of build into that slowly".She told BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement: "That kind of comes back to the issue around maintenance [like] which parts of the railway system do we need to change?"Which parts of the trains do we need to change in order to manage that resilience to the ever-changing climate?" Ms Baxter said "adaptation to climate change" was a "really big part of the work" of the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales, an independent advisory body that gives recommendations on Wales' infrastructure she said there was added complications as most of Wales' rail infrastructure was not a devolved issue, meaning decisions on investment were not made in after cancelled trains caused disruption to fans travelling to Cardiff to see the Stereophonics perform on Saturday, she added: "There are things that we can't do anything about. The reaction of metal to extreme heat is one of those areas, and there are other countries around Europe who have managed to come up with ways to solve these problems." How to stay cool in the heat Meanwhile, Public Health Wales issued guidance on Sunday "urging people to take steps to stay well in the heat".People are advised to drink plenty of water and wear sun cream, loose clothing and a hat. Other tips include:Avoiding alcohol, caffeine and hot and sugary drinks which can cause dehydrationClosing blinds and curtains on windows when in direct sunlightUsing an electrical fan to help cool space if temperatures are below 35°C "Hot weather is a particular risk to children, older people and those with pre-existing health conditions," warned Dr Giri Shankar, director of health protection."It's important that we look out for our family, friends and neighbours while temperatures stay high."
