North West Walescounty

A fire broke out beside the railway line between Bangor and Holyhead in North Wales on Thursday, November 5, causing Transport for Wales trains to face cancellations and delays of up to 40 minutes. The fire service attended the incident, which was expected to last until around 8pm, with rail disruption potentially continuing until 9pm. Passengers delayed or cancelled by more than 15 minutes may claim compensation through the Delay Repay scheme.

Rhoslan Residential Care Home in Rhos-on-Sea posted a Facebook invitation hoping a few families might visit for Halloween trick-or-treating. The post received a fantastic response, with 180 reactions and 26 shares, and families arrived on 31 October with children in costumes to collect sweets and share the celebration with residents. Carl Thompson, Activities Coordinator, said the home was 'genuinely surprised' by the community response and that seeing the children in their costumes 'really made everybody's evening'.

Plans to retain a large timber shed at a Llangollen home have been approved by Denbighshire County Council's planning committee despite objections from neighbours. The committee voted 17 in favour and two against the retrospective application by Adam Taylor. Councillors imposed a condition requiring changes to the roofing material, which was visible from neighbouring properties and resembled a commercial building.

A motorcyclist died after crashing into the sea off the Great Orme in Llandudno on Marine Drive on 29 October. Police received a report of the collision at 10:31pm. The Llandudno RNLI launched both its inshore and all-weather lifeboats, which arrived within five minutes, and a paramedic from a search and rescue helicopter was lowered to assist. Despite the efforts of emergency services, the casualty could not be saved.

Iceland Foods opened a new The Food Warehouse store at Holyhead Retail Park on Anglesey, with 114 customers queuing from 5.40am for the opening. The store gave away £1,500 in vouchers to the first 150 customers and held raffle draws for air fryers and supermarket sweep prizes.

Broken down vehicles caused disruption on the A55 in North Wales this morning. The incidents have now been cleared.

Wales has launched an independent review of its Covid-19 response, led by Professor Daniel Wincott from Cardiff University. The review will assess whether Wales' ability to respond to future pandemics has been strengthened and will focus on health and adult social care. It will complement the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry and examine whether recommendations have been implemented.

Someplace Else on Mostyn Street in Llandudno has applied to Conwy County Borough Council to extend its premises licence. The application seeks to allow alcohol sales from 11am to midnight daily, replacing the current 10am to 11pm hours, with a further extension to 1am on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. The council is accepting representations for 28 days from the notice date.

Four shoplifters have been banned from North Wales for 12 months after admitting theft offences at Wrexham Magistrates Court on Wednesday. The defendants stole goods worth £560 from a Tesco in Cefn Mawr on 1 October, then returned five days later to steal items worth £240. Two were caught at a nearby bus stop and two were stopped by West Mercia Police in a vehicle containing stolen health and beauty items. They each received a 12-month community order with a GPS exclusion tag.

Sir Bryn Terfel is set to narrate the Profiad Kyffin Experience, a new immersive exhibition celebrating the life of Sir Kyffin Williams, which opens to the public on 18 November 2026 at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. The 30-minute experience uses digital projection and interactive storytelling to bring Williams's artwork to life. Sir Bryn said the project meant a great deal to him, and recalled buying his first Kyffin Williams painting as a student in London.

A 96-year-old man, Glyn Hughes, was found dead at Plas Hafan residential care home in Nefyn, Gwynedd on 25 October. North Wales Live reports that a carer discovered him in a blood-soaked room during a welfare check at 3.15am. A pathologist gave a provisional cause of death as haemorrhage due to a puncture wound to his right arm; Hughes had been receiving anti-coagulant treatment. An inquest has been opened and adjourned pending further investigations.

Bodnant Garden is hosting a folklore-inspired autumn trail for families, themed around the Welsh festival of Calan Gaeaf and Welsh mythology. The trail invites visitors to complete riddles, games and challenges featuring legendary creatures from Welsh folklore, including Pwca, Cath Palug and Gwyllgi. According to Hamza Mould, general manager at Bodnant Garden, the trail celebrates Wales' storytelling tradition and gives families the chance to discover folklore in a memorable way.

Danny Ellis, 42, from Llanrwst in Conwy, nearly died after a toothache in April developed into endocarditis, a heart valve infection. The infection spread through his bloodstream from the tooth, creating a hole in his mitral valve. He initially took antibiotics prescribed by his dentist, but the pain returned and he developed sepsis and multiple strokes. Surgeons had to abandon a lifesaving operation when his blood refused to clot.

Gwynedd Council has announced a temporary closure of Min y Ddôl and Queen's Avenue in Bangor's Maesgeirchen area for resurfacing works. The closure begins on 16 November 2026 and is expected to last about 14 days, though the order permits up to one month. Residents will retain access, with diversions in place for through traffic.

Money seized from criminals is funding free skateboarding sessions for children aged five to 12 in North Wales. Tom Butler, a skateboarder from Bangor who runs the On ya Board community project, led a session at Bangor University with a £250 grant from the North Wales Police and Community Trust. Butler received an additional £2,000 from the charity to deliver workshops in schools and community centres.

North Wales Live reports that opera director Patrick Young has called for greater prominence in Welsh schools for the 1936 arson attack on RAF Penrhos near Pwllheli, carried out by Welsh nationalists Saunders Lewis, DJ Williams and Lewis Valentine in protest. The three men were convicted and jailed for nine months, then greeted as heroes by a 15,000-strong crowd upon release in Caernarfon. Young's call comes as his company OPRA Cymru prepares to stage a new opera, Fflamau Penyberth, commemorating the attack.

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service has warned that the region's fire service could be overwhelmed by summer wildfires, preventing attendance at other serious incidents. Last summer, major blazes on Conwy Mountain and in the Rhinogydd mountain range and around Bethesda required multiple crews over several days. At one point, only seven appliances remained available to cover the entire 2,300 square mile region.

Used fireworks have been found in several areas of the Great Orme Nature Reserve in Conwy. The council warns that fireworks disturb wildlife and damage the environment, and does not permit their unauthorised use in council-maintained public spaces. Organised displays are taking place across the region leading up to Bonfire Night on November 5.

Local Democracy Reporters covering North Wales are emphasising their role in holding local authorities to account. Dale Spridgeon and Richard Evans cover four of the six local authority areas—Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy and Denbighshire—and have reported on Menai Suspension Bridge closures, an AI data centre development, and issues at the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

Graham Murray, 42, from Menai Bridge, Anglesey, was found dead in July. A coroner ruled his death was drug-related and unintentional, despite a note left for his mother. The coroner heard that Mr Murray may have written the note years earlier, believing he would die at 33.

A proposed relief road for Llanbedr, a seaside village of 650 residents in Gwynedd, would cost more than £40 million, dwarfing the £28 million Regional Transport Fund budget for North Wales in 2026/7. The North Wales Corporate Joint Committee has raised concerns that funding the bypass could deplete resources for other transport projects across the region. The Welsh Government has set up a task force to identify a funding solution.

The A55 closed in both directions between Junctions 23 and 24 near Llanddulas and Abergele in Conwy on 4 November after police attended a concern-for-safety incident. The road reopened after a rolling road block was enforced. North Wales Police confirmed there were no casualties.

North Wales Live reports that the Post Office branch in Llandudno will close in early 2027 following TG Jones's restructuring programme. The branch, located in the town centre, provides postal, banking and cash services. The closure has prompted concerns from local politicians about the loss of face-to-face services for residents and businesses.

Fish deaths have been reported at Llyn Maelog, an Anglesey lake near the beach resort of Rhosneigr. Natural Resources Wales investigated and concluded the deaths resulted from a naturally occurring event caused by the mixing of seawater and freshwater, which can cause rapid changes in water conditions. The authority found no evidence of pollution.