Reform leader stands down after arrest
Sep 15 – Reform’s leader in Wales Dan Thomas has stood down after being arrested by police on Sunday. Thomas is a representative for Newport and Islwyn.
Gwent Police said “a 45-year-old man from the Aberbargoed area was arrested on Sunday, September 13, on suspicion of assault and engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour. He has been released on bail pending further enquiries.”
Thomas denied any wrongdoing stating “I will continue to serve my constituents in Casnewydd Islwyn and will fully back whoever the group selects as its next leader.”
He was revealed as Welsh leader at the ICC Wales by Nigel Farage in February. Thomas previously stood for the Welsh Conservatives in Islwyn at the 2010 and 2017 general elections, finishing second on both occasions. He also served as a served as a Conservative councillor in Barnet in north London. He defected to Reform in June 2025.
In another blow to Reform Sarah Cooper-Lesadd, a former Conservative, who was elected for the Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg constituency, has defected to Plaid Cymru. She said “The party centrally has no interest in Wales.” Her defection is a leap of faith from one extreme to another which is difficult to fathom but was ratified by Plaid Cymru yesterday afternoon.
Plaid Cymru Senedd group chair, Marc Jones, said: “Reform UK is descending into chaos…..Reform is interested in division and headlines, not governing Wales.”
Ken Skates, leader of Welsh Labour, told the Press Association: “This is quite incredible news and many questions will need to be answered. Dan Thomas was a personal pick by Nigel Farage and this will surely demonstrate the appalling judgement of the Reform UK leader.”
Eyesore Commercial Street building to be knocked down
Sep 14 – An eyesore building on Commercial Street is set to be knocked down as maintenance costs are too high. Newport City Council’s Cabinet will be asked tomorrow to approve a report recommending the demolition.
Once occupied by WH Smith and other retailers, the vacant property in Commercial Street was put on the market and subsequently bought by the council earlier this year using government regeneration funding.
Cabinet member James Clarke stated “This large, unattractive building has no architectural merit and is a blight on Commercial Street. Making it safe and suitable for further retail, hospitality or leisure use would be extremely expensive and, even if that was possible, it is unlikely that appropriate businesses would want to take it on.
“I hope my cabinet colleagues will support the proposal as I believe that demolition, and the creation of a safe and attractive public space, is absolutely the right option for the site. Officers are already considering proposals that will ensure it becomes a real asset to the city centre.”
Next phase of Malpas Road roadworks confirmed
Sep 14 – The next phase of Malpas Road roadworks has been confirmed for next week with overnight closures. It will cover the stretch of road from Pillmawr Road to Rougemont School.
The phase of work from the M4 roundabout to Pillmawr Road will start tonight with overnight closures.
Sep 14 – The new Aldi supermarket on the 28 East Retail Park will open on October 22. The new store between Food Warehouse and Halfords will create up to 40 jobs.
Prolific burglar jailed / street brawl arrests
Sep 14 – A prolific offender has been jailed after he broke into two commercial premises in Newport city centre and attempted to force entry to another.
Arnis Nassa, 46, was convicted of two counts of burglary and an attempted burglary with intent to steal, all at Friars Walk in Newport, on Friday 24 July. Appearing at Newport Magistrates’ Court on Friday 11 September, Nassa, of no fixed address, admitted to multiple counts of fraud by false representation, theft from a motor vehicle, and vehicle interference.
Nassa was sentenced to more than 14 months imprisonment (64 weeks in total) for these offences, which he committed while on bail.
This sentence will run consecutively to a three-year jail term imposed at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday 8 September when Nassa pleaded guilty to burglary, theft and fraud offences from May.
Gwent Police have made two arrests following a street fight in Upper Dock Street on Friday evening at 10.30pm.
Multiple people were reportedly seen fighting in the area; no serious injuries have been reported. A 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of assault by beating and violent disorder, and has since been released under investigation as enquiries continue. A 16-year-old girl was later arrested on suspicion of violent disorder and has since been released on conditional bail as enquiries continue.
Inspector Martyn Pugh said: “We understand that this incident, and the footage circulating on social media, may cause concern in the community. However, our officers, who were close by patrolling the city as part of the City Safe initiative, were on the scene within two minutes of receiving the report and have made two arrests..”
📱 If you have any information that may be useful, please get in touch by messaging us on social media, calling 101 or visit our website, quoting log reference 2600299093.
Funding for study into Rodney Parade revamp
Sep 10 – Newport City Council has secured £250,000 of Welsh Government Transforming Towns funding towards the next stage of ambitious plans to improve training, community and sporting facilities in Rodney Parade.
It will enable the Dragons to undertake a comprehensive programme of feasibility and design work for the proposed redevelopment of an underused area of the stadium.The club wants to improve training facilities, expand community sports provision and offer enhanced facilities for disability sport on a site within Rodney Parade known as the “cabbage patch”.
Councillor Dimitri Batrouni, leader of Newport City Council said: “This proposed redevelopment would deliver long-term benefits for the city, residents and sporting organisations.
“We have worked closely with the Dragons and other stakeholders because we recognise that the proposal builds upon Rodney Parade’s importance as one of Newport’s most significant sporting venues and will support the wider regeneration ambitions for the city centre.
“Rodney Parade attracts hundreds of thousands of people each year, and plays an important role in supporting professional sport, community participation and the local economy.
“This investment will enable the detailed work needed to develop a compelling and deliverable vision for the site, creating opportunities to improve facilities for elite athletes, local communities and disability sport alike.”
The feasibility programme will include site investigations, technical surveys, architectural design work and planning activity providing the robust evidence needed to shape future investment decisions.
We recently asked AI to give us a redevelopment plan for Rodney Parade’s ‘cabbage patch’. See details here. Not sure why a £250k feasibility study is needed?
Development plan includes over 4000 new homes
Sep 8 – Newport’s development planning process has identified over 4000 potential new homes across the City. The key areas for Housing development are as follows – Llanwern 2500 homes, Langstone 1100 and Bettws 650 alongside other smaller areas for development.
The plan identifies possible key sites for new homes, jobs and infrastructure as well as the use of green spaces and protection of the environment and sets out policies that will guide officers and members making decisions on planning applications.
Following extensive consultation and the submission of candidate sites, it is now at the deposit phase and will be considered by a scrutiny committee, cabinet and full council this month.
If full council approve the deposit plan for consultation, further public consultation will take place later this autumn on the proposed deposit plan and the views of all interested stakeholders will be encouraged at this stage.
A public examination by an independent Welsh government appointed inspector will then take place which will look closely at the proposals and consider the feedback.
Newport City Council is preparing a Replacement Local Development Plan (RLDP) to cover the period 2021-2036.The original Newport Local Development Plan (LDP) was adopted by the council on 27 January 2015, it sets out the council’s planning framework for the development and use of land in Newport between 2011 – 2026.
New Tata Steel apprentices welcomed
Sep 8 – Tata Steel UK is welcoming 55 new apprentices across its UK operations this September, as the next generation of talent takes its first steps into the steel industry.
Tata Steel offers advanced, higher and degree apprenticeships across its UK operations, providing opportunities to gain hands-on experience, undertake training and development and work towards professional qualifications.
In Wales, 44 apprentices have joined sites across the country, including 24 at Port Talbot, eight at Trostre, four at Llanwern, one at Catnic in Caerphilly and seven at Shotton.
New city centre college plans before Council
Sep 7 – Plans for the new city centre college campus are before City Council planners. The publication of the plans follow a recent consultation exercise.
The idea of a Knowledge Quarter was first proposed in 2016. The new college will be part of a £97 million investment and will link adult education services with University of South Wales. Alongside the new leisure centre the new provision could help transform the city centre bringing in over 2,000 staff and pupils.
The project is to provide a new 16,000 m2 college building in the city centre of Newport on a brownfield development site previously occupied by the Newport Leisure Centre. The project will create a new Newport City Campus for Coleg Gwent providing a range of curriculum and skills learning.
Learners will include Further Education students from 16+ years, as well as Work-Based Learning (WBL) apprentices, Higher Education students and Adult Learners. Learning programmes are planned to be a mix of full and part time daytime delivery, as well as options for evening and weekend classes. The College will provide a mixture of traditional academic and vocational places, over a range of subjects with the new facilities opened up to offer support for community uses and local businesses.
The new facilities will deliver a mix of curricula and will include Business, Sciences, Independent Learning Skills (ILS), Construction, Visual Arts, Hair and Beauty, Catering and Hospitality, Engineering and Skills Development (Math/Numeracy, English and Welsh Language etc).The facilities will also include a variety of non-curricula and social spaces designed to provide support to students and staff during the college day, and potentially for some community use (i.e.training restaurant and hair salon) outside of core teaching hours. The new facilities in the Newport Knowledge Quarter are intended to replace existing facilities and provision delivered across a number of other Coleg Gwent campuses located in Newport and within the former county of Gwent.
COMMENT – This is great news. Hopefully, planning will progress smoothly and work can begin on site early in the new year. USW must step up as part of this arrangement and deliver for Newport too. Alongside the new leisure centre this is a step in the right direction. Plans to upscale Kingsway and Rodney Parade should follow as well as a scaled down retail area.
This will free up land for housing too which will be very welcome.
Burglar jailed
Sep 7 – A Newport burglar who broke into two commercial premises in the city at the end of last month has been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.
Mohammed Salam, 38, appeared before the city’s magistrates on Friday 4 September when he pleaded guilty to a burglary on Church Road, Newport, on Saturday 29 August.
Salam, of Dolphin Street, Newport, admitted to theft from a shop on Monday 10 August and fraud by false representation.
He was also convicted of a second burglary offence at a commercial address on Llanarth Street, Newport, on Saturday 29 August.
Neptune Works demolition plan
Sep 4 – Neptune Works in Newport Docks is set to be demolished. The site will be cleared as part of a plan to redevelop the site.
The site is a 190,000 sq ft former engineering works on a 10-acre site next to the Transporter Bridge and was purchased by Associated British Ports in 2018.The Neptune Engineering Works was established early in the 20th century and specialised in structural steelwork. It became Braithwaite & Co, Neptune Works eventually becoming part of the Rowecord group.
Operation Krypton arrests exceed 200
Sep 4 – Gwent Police has confirmed their city centre anti-crime initiative has now brought the number of arrests to in excess of two hundred.
Since launching in July, officers and partners have targeted repeat offenders, carried out drug warrants, disrupted criminal activity, recovered stolen vehicles and increased high-visibility patrols in areas affected by crime and disorder.
Operation Krypton has brought together Gwent Police, Newport City Council, Hedyn and other partners to improve safety and confidence across the city.Alongside the 200 arrests, officers have executed drug warrants, recovered stolen cars and motorbikes, seized vehicles linked to offending, carried out stop searches, tackled anti-social behaviour through dispersal powers and Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) enforcement, and combated the anti-social use of off-road vehicles.
Joint enforcement activity has also been carried out with Newport City Council’s Trading Standards team, including action against businesses suspected of selling illegal vapes.Longer-term interventions, including the introduction, review and enforcement of Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBOs), have helped prevent repeat offending and improve community safety.
Those arrested have been linked to a range of offences, including drug supply, burglary, assault, public order and road-related offences. A number have since been charged and are awaiting sentencing.
Yesterday, 33-year-old Nicole Clarke was jailed for nine months after admitting burglary and theft offences committed in Newport city centre.
Protest at ICC Wales arms fair
Sep 3 – Protesters blocked the access road to the Celtic Manor this morning to draw attention to their opposition to an arms fair at ICC Wales. The 2026 Defence Security Resilience Cymru summit was organised by the Welsh Government and a subsidiary of General Dynamics, one of the world’s largest arms companies and a supplier of weapons to the Israeli military. Plaid Cymru had previously repeatedly stated its opposition to similar defence events in the UK.
A Gwent Police spokesperson stated “Our officers are in attendance to facilitate a peaceful and safe gathering.A 72-year-old woman from Caerphilly has been arrested on suspicion of breaching the peace. A further seven people were arrested on suspicion of public order offences and all eight remain in police custody at this time.”
The protesters state Welsh taxpayers money should not be used to subsidise warfare and there should be more focus on other challenges facing humanity such as climate change.
Malpas Road roadworks plan
Sept 3 – A major Newport road will be resurfaced in the middle of September. Malpas Road from Pillmawr Road to the M4 roundabout will be subject to overnight closures between September 14 and 18. Work will take place between 8pm and 5am every night and progress is weather dependent. Access for emergency vehicles and buses will be maintained. This area has been criticised by drivers due to the prevalence of uneven surfaces and potholes. It is one of Newport’s main arteries connecting the north of the city and Torfaen to the M4 and city centre.
Call to support Llanwern over import issue
Sep 2 – Jessica Morden MP used PM Andy Burnham’s first day in the Commons yesterday to call on him to support Llanwern steelworkers and its latest challenge. She stated “Steel communities have long faced unfair global trading practices, but our new safeguards will still leave some steel manufacturing unprotected, including galvanised steel made by Llanwern steelworks in Newport. Will the Prime Minister work with business, trade, Tata and the trade unions to see what more can be done?”
He responded supportively “I have spoken about today that this country has not done well—in the past, we have allowed deindustrialisation before trying to help industry into a new era—and we need to make it work this time in south Wales. I said it to the trade unions last week, I said it to the leadership of Tata and I will say it to my hon. Friend in this House: we will make that happen, and we will guarantee steelmaking in south Wales for generations to come.
New Microsoft Centre opens
Sept 2 – The new Microsoft Circular Centre/Center has been opened at Celtic Springs.City Council leader Dimitri Batrouni hailed the new facility “I was delighted to open Microsoft’s newest Circular Center, the seventh and largest in Microsoft’s global network. Circular Centers sort, test, refurbish, reuse, and recycle retired cloud hardware, helping recover critical materials and reduce waste. It will also employ over a hundred local people, including onboarding new apprentices.”
Located at Imperial Park (the former Quinn Radiators/LG plant site), this facility handles the processing and repurposing of server equipment and cloud computing hardware to support Microsoft’s zero-waste and sustainability goals.
City centre burglary charges
Sept 2 – A man and a woman have been charged with burglary offences in Newport city centre.
A 33-year-old man was charged in connection with a burglary at a commercial address on Usk Way, Newport, on Saturday 29 August.Rory Hiscox, of Chepstow Road, Newport, was charged with burglary other than a dwelling, and two counts of fraud by false representation.
A 33-year-old woman has been charged in connection with a burglary at a commercial address on Millennium Walk, Newport on Tuesday 25 August.Nicole Clarke, of no fixed address, was charged with burglary other than a dwelling, and theft from a shop on Cambrian Road, Newport, on Sunday 23 August.
Both defendants were remanded into police custody to appear at Newport Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 2 September.
Church in Wales to meet at ICC
Sep 2 – The Governing Body of the Church in Wales will convene this month for a comprehensive two-day meeting at the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Newport on September 9 and 10. The gathering will bring together 143 elected clergy and lay representatives from across all six Welsh dioceses.
On the evening of September 9, the Governing Body will travel to Newport Cathedral for Choral Evensong, a service that will incorporate a sacred synod which will see the election of the new Bishop of Bangor officially confirmed.
Dealer caught with cocaine filled Kinder egg
Sep 1 – A Newport drug dealer was caught red handed by police in Newport Retail Park.
On Friday 24 July, PC Guto Jenkins, from the service’s Community Action Team (CAT), was on patrol at Spytty Retail Park, Newport, as part of Operation Krypton when he spotted Matthew Ahern speaking to a man in a wheelchair, with both looking into the defendant’s hands before making an apparent exchange.
Ahern, 47, attempted to cycle off when he was alerted to officers’ presence but was soon apprehended by PC Jenkins as he tried to weave through parked vehicles at the retail park.
Detained under section 23 of the Misuse of drugs Act, Ahern was then searched by officers who found crack cocaine stashed inside a yellow Kinder Surprise Egg.
In total, the defendant was found to be carrying 24g of the class A drug which had a potential street value of between £2,200 and £3,300.Ahern, of Moorland Park in Newport, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of class A – crack cocaine. He was sentenced to 42 months at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday 24 August.
Two charged following more city centre burglaries
Aug 26 – Police investigating another spate of commercial burglaries in the Newport area have made two arrests.
A 42-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of burglary on Tuesday 25 August. A 33-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of three counts of burglary and four counts of theft from a shop on Wednesday 26 August.Both men, from Newport, remain in police custody at this time as enquiries continue.
Superintendent Esyr Jones, Neighbourhood Policing for Gwent, said: “Through Operation Krypton, our partnership approach to tackling anti-social behaviour and crime in Newport, we have shown we will act decisively against those suspected of offending, with more than 160 arrests made this summer to date. We have identified, arrested and charged a number of burglary suspects, who currently await sentence. This proactive approach will continue and we will be relentless in our pursuit of those who cause harm in Newport city centre and beyond.”
update Aug 27 –
Officers investigating a series of commercial burglaries in the Newport area have charged two men.
Benjamin Brown, 42, was charged with burglary at a commercial address on High Street, Newport.
Rory Hiscox, 33, was charged with burglary at a commercial address on Millennium Walk, Newport, and four counts of theft from a shop.
Both men, of Chepstow Road, Newport, were remanded in police custody to appear at Newport Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 27 August.
Concern at increase in galvanised steel imports
Aug 25 – Concerns have been expressed by the Community Union at Llanwern steelworks at the increase in cheap imported galvanised despite new Government tariffs. It is claimed that imports have increased from China and Vietnam reducing Llanwern’s market share. The galvanised steel is used in a variety of products such as car bodywork. Government tariffs were designed to restrict cheap imported steel and have generally worked but the India trade deal had a slight upward increase in the quota for galvanised steel and due to trade rules this also benefits others such as Vietnam.
Alasdair McDiarmid, the assistant general secretary at the Community union, told the Guardian : “Llanwern is a crucial strategic site for the Welsh and UK steel sectors, supplying top-quality galvanised steel to the automotive and construction sectors. It is vital that the plant and its dedicated workforce have security for the future.”
Call to open up fridge recycling plant
Aug 25 – Oxford County Council has written to the Government calling on them to reopen the Sims fridge recycling plant at Newport Docks. The site was closed down in November when Sims / Unimetals went into liquidation.
Laura Gordon, cabinet member for economy and the environment at Oxfordshire County Council said reopening the site would “enable everyone to keep moving and recycling their fridges and freezers as normal”.
The request came as the UK has been facing a shortage of fridge and freezer recycling capacity in recent months.
Associated British Ports (ABP), which runs the wider port, has confirmed that it is in talks with “third parties” regarding the future of the fridge recycling facility.
Call to extend English business rate cut to city pubs and venues
Aug 22 – Local politicians and businesses are calling on the Welsh Government to replicate the cut in business rates announced by the UK Labour Government. Newport East Labour MP Jess Morden stated “Pubs, clubs and music venues in Newport East should get the same business rates support as those in England, when Andy Burnham’s 20% discount comes in next April.”
UK Prime Minister Burnham has announced pubs, clubs, and live music venues in England will receive a 20% cut in business rates from April. This will not affect Wales, where business rates decisions are devolved to the Welsh Government.
John Hurst, chair of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Wales, said:“Any extra funding coming to Wales as a result of this policy should be used to ease the pressure on small businesses here too. ”
Building society posts positive profit figures
Aug 21 – Monmouthshire Building Society has posted £3.7 million in profit for 2025/26. Total assets increased to £1.73billion. Customer satisfaction is very high for the Newport based society at 88 per cent.
Chair of the Board, Marian Evans said: “We’re very pleased with the Society’s performance this year – we have continued to demonstrate resilience during a period of significant change and investment.
Shoplifter jailed
Aug 20 – A Newport shoplifter has been jailed for eight weeks after admitting multiple theft offences and breaching conditions of his Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO).
Calum Edwards, 36, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to 11 counts of theft and a criminal behaviour order breach when he was sentenced at Newport Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 13 August.
Edwards was arrested by neighbourhood officers during a shoplifting operation in Newport on Tuesday 11 August. On 16 April this year, Edwards was issued with a two-year criminal behaviour order (CBO) at Newport Magistrates’ Court. The order included being banned from every Tesco store in the City.
ONS may need to relocate as semi conductor sector expands – Council leader
Aug 18 – City Council leader Dimitri Batrouni has suggested the Office for National Statistics could relocate in Newport to accommodate an expansion of Newport’s burgeoning semi conductor sector. He told Business News Wales “I understand Vishay would like extra expansionary land. I am a strong advocate for the semiconductor industry as it is of national importance…I would be open to any city centre option and would be happy to have discussions around that. However, my first priority would be, if the UK Government did announce any move, that the ONS would stay in Newport firstly.”
Vishay (Newport) is home to the UK’s largest semiconductor manufacturing facility. A second US owned company, KLA, is constructing its new European headquarters at Imperial Park.
Students at Bassaleg School, in Newport, are studying towards a GCSE-equivalent qualification designed to introduce young people to careers in advanced manufacturing and the semiconductor industry. The WJEC Level 2 Award in Advanced Manufacturing Technologies (Semiconductors) combines classroom learning with practical skills development, giving students an introduction to semiconductor manufacturing, circuitry, cleanroom working, quality control, health and safety, and the career opportunities available across the sector.
Vantage Data Centers, a leading global provider of hyperscale data centre campuses, and Nebius (Nasdaq: NBIS), the AI cloud company, today announced an agreement to deploy high-density, NVIDIA-powered AI infrastructure at its campus in Newport. The deployment represents the first announced commercial capacity commitment in the South Wales AI Growth Zone and will support growing UK demand for domestic AI compute capacity.
Health advice issued over wildfire smoke
Aug 14 – Due to a change in wind direction wildfire smoke is affecting Newport again this morning. The fires, many of which have been started deliberately, continue to affect areas to the north of Newport damaging farmland and taking up huge amounts of firefighting resources. The Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a temporary ban on disposable barbecues, a contributory factor, and the assignment of a hundred military personnel to the fires in South Wales.
Public Health Wales has reissued advice to protect yourself from the impact of the smoke.
⚠️ As wildfires continue to affect parts of Wales, here are some simple reminders to help keep you and those around you safe.
Smoke from wildfires can irritate your eyes, nose and throat, and may cause coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.
✅ Stay indoors and keep windows closed
✅ If you are travelling, keep your vehicle windows closed, and switch aircon to recirculation mode
✅ Keep inhalers and medication with you
☎️ If you have symptoms and they do not improve when inside, away from smoke or ash, ask for advice from your GP or NHS 111.