Elderly people taken to hospital
TWO elderly people are in hospital with serious injuries after a crash on a dual carriageway in Carmarthenshire.
The two-vehicle crash happened on the eastbound stretch of the A48 between Cross Hands and Pont Abraham on Friday afternoon.
The road was closed in both directions for several hours as a result.
Emergency services, including police, fire crews, paramedics and a Wales Air Ambulance helicopter were all sent to the scene.
Three people were taken to hospital in total, one of whom did not sustain serious injuries. The other two, however, had to be cut free from their vehicle by fire crews using hydraulic cutting equipment, before being taken to Morriston Hospital in Swansea with what police have described as “serious injuries”. They are said to be in a stable condition.
The crash led to huge traffic tailbacks on the A48 and the M4 between Carmarthen and Llanelli on Friday afternoon and evening.
Diversions were put in place as the vehicles involved were recovered, with the westbound stretch of the carriageway between Cross Hands and Pont Abraham reopening at around 3.15pm.
The eastbound stretch of the carriageway remained closed into Friday evening and led to further traffic and congestion.
Find out more online at... walesonline.co.uk/ llanelli
PEOPLE are able to hand in knives without fear of prosecution this week as part of a police campaign.
The aim of the week, which runs until Sunday, May 2, is to increase awareness about the dangers of carrying knives and the laws around buying and selling knives and blades.
The action is part of Operation Sceptre.
Knife amnesty bins will also be placed at police stations across Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and the wider force area, for people to hand over knives or blades.
The force also wants people to know how to safely dispose of knives and blades outside the amnesty period, and to urge anyone involved in a household clearance, or those who would consider leaving knives at a charity shop, to instead take them to a recycling centre for safe disposal.
Inspector Andrew Williams said: “Dyfed-Powys remains a safe place to live, work and visit, and thankfully we don’t face the level of knife crime other areas see. For this campaign we are focusing on keeping knives that could travel to other areas out of criminal hands.
“It can be difficult to know the right thing to do with an old knife or set of knives and we want to spread the word that the safest place to take them is to the tip.”
The force is also encouraging a common-sense approach to selling knives and blades, and will be offering advice on when a knife can legally be carried as part of someone’s work.
Insp Williams added: “Many types of blades are legal to sell but have a questionable purpose. We will be working with retailers to discuss the law, and what is sensible.
“We will also be reinforcing the message about the dangers of carrying knives, which is a crime that brings that added risk that a minor issue can escalate into something much more serious and potentially life changing.
“The damage caused by knives, not just to the victim and their families, but also to the wider community, can be devastating.
“We will be doing all we can to keep knives out of the wrong hands.”
For information on the laws around knife crime, and when it is legal to carry a knife, visit the DyfedPowys Police website at https://www.dyfed-powys. police.uk/news/dyfedpowys/news/2021/april2021/op-sceptre-how-toget-rid-of-an-old-knife/