We have put together a round-up of all the latest news, weather, and travel information for Monday, April 18, that will get you caught up and ready for the day as cooler weather set to return. After bathing in sunshine over the Easter bank holiday weekend, it is set to be a cooler and wetter week ahead for people in Wales, with a chance of some April showers.
The Met Office forecast for Wales for Monday April 18 says it will be a "mainly dry day to come with plenty of sunny spells and just a few isolated showers developing." It adds that it will be "feeling somewhat cooler compared to recent days but pleasant in the sunshine," while there will be maximum temperatures of 15°C. These temperatures are set to stay relatively low throughout the week, with showers also a possibility between sunny spells.
The forecast for Tuesday through to Thursday reads: "A chance of a few showers at first, but otherwise staying largely fine. Feeling warm during the sunnier periods but rather chilly overnight with a freshening easterly breeze by Thursday. Wales recorded it's hottest day of the year so far on Good Friday (April 15). Read more: Cash for the poorest areas will be diverted to wealthier regions
For Cardiff, the Met Office forecasts a sunny morning on Monday, although it will turn cloudy in the afternoon, with temperatures reaching highs of 14°C. Similar conditions are predicted for both Swansea and Wrexham, with temperatures reaching 13°C and clouds setting in shortly after midday. This is down from the near 20°C felt across the country over the weekend.
Wales news headlines
Person dies in early morning car crash with another in critical condition
One person has died following an early morning car crash in Flintshire on Easter Sunday. The collision, which happened on the A548 in Gronant, near Prestatyn, shortly before 5am has also left another person in a critical condition in hospital.
North Wales Police is now appealing for witnesses to the collision between Gronant Hill and the roundabout for Talcare, which forced the closure of the roads while emergency services worked at the scene, North Wales Live reports. A police spokesperson confirmed that a family liaison officer has been appointed to support the family of those involved.
In a statement, Sergeant Emlyn Hughes said: "A silver BMW was involved in a collision this morning. One person has been taken to hospital and is in a critical condition and sadly the other person in the vehicle has died.
"A family liaison officer has been appointed," Sergeant Hughes continued. "We are appealing to anybody who was in the area or may have witnessed the collision that occurred at approximately 4.54am to contact us."
Witnesses or anybody with information or dash-cam footage that might assist the investigation are asked to contact North Wales Police. They can do this by dialling 101 quoting incident number 22000263059.
Cliff fall hoax sparks frantic coastguard search that cost 'thousands'
Mumbles Coastguard were called out, in what is now believed to be a hoax call, to investigate a call from the emergency phone on Three Cliffs Bay. They have taken to their Facebook page to express their "extreme disappointment" at the behaviour.
The Coastguard were paged at 4.53pm on Easter Saturday, April, 16 to investigate a call from the emergency phone at Three Cliffs Bay. The call from the phone box had been abruptly cut off and another call received from a phone box in the same area said that someone had fallen off a cliff and was in danger.
Upon arriving at the scene Mumbles Coastguard found the phone box damaged and out of service and after a large search from several dispatched services, nothing else was found. With no more information the callout was assumed to be a hoax call and all services stood down.
Mumbles Coastguard took to their Facebook page to say that the callout cost "thousands of both taxpayer and volunteer funds" and that it had taken up a lot of time on a day that was already busy for the coastguard, with this call out being the fourth call out of the day. They added:
"It has taken valuable resources away from important taskings, disrupted holiday makers, local businesses and the lives of our and our partner services families".
They also listed the other services involved in the call out which were, South Wales Police Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, MAWW Fire and Rescue, Oxwich Coastguard Rescue Team, Horton and Port Eynon Lifeboat RNLI, RNLI Lifeguards Swansea, Welsh Ambulance Services, and HM Coastguard South and West Wales.
Mumbles Coastguard went on to express their frustration in the time-wasting incident, they said: "We'd like to thank all those involved with this callout and again express our extreme disappointment in this behaviour."
Today's forecast
Wales will be bright and sunny spells with a few showers, according to the Met Office forecast.
Today:
Easter Monday will start mostly dry with some bright or sunny spells. Cloud will generally bubble up to produce a few showers from late morning onwards, although there'll still be some bright weather around during the afternoon. Maximum temperature 14 °C.
Tonight:
Most areas will have a fairly cloudy evening and night and there'll still be a few showers. The best of any clearer intervals are likely to develop in the south. Minimum temperature 4 °C.
Here is how the roads and rail are affected at 7am
There are currently no issues to report.
National news headlines
Nearly one in 10 parents 'very likely' to need food bank, survey finds
Almost one in 10 parents say they are “very likely” to need to use a food bank in the next three months, a survey has found. Some 9% of parents – or 1.3 million – said they expect to visit a food bank to cope with the soaring cost of living, with 88% saying their monthly food shop has increased in price over the past three months.
Of those parents who reported a rise in their household bills in the survey for Deliveroo, 58% have cut back on heating as a result. One third (33%) of all parents reported skipping one or more meals in the past three months to keep up with other essential costs, while one in five (20%) had been unable to cook hot food on at least one occasion because they could not afford to use the oven.
The research by the food delivery platform and the food bank network charity Trussell Trust was released as they announced a new partnership to provide up to two million meals and support for people facing hunger across the country. Deliveroo will enable customers to add a round-up donation to their in-app food orders, with all proceeds going to the Trussell Trust’s food banks.
Deliveroo employees will also volunteer for the charity. The funds raised through donations will go towards parcels that contain at least three days’ worth of food for individuals and families.
Johnson expected to urge MPs to move on from Partygate
Boris Johnson goes into a new week ready to defend his premiership again as he prepares to insist to MPs there are bigger issues to focus on than the Partygate saga. Despite being fined by the Metropolitan Police for his birthday bash held in the Cabinet room in June 2020, while coronavirus restrictions were in place, the Prime Minister is expected to tell MPs on Tuesday that this should not be the focus of politicians.
Mr Johnson is reported to be preparing to make a statement in the Commons once MPs return to Westminster following the Easter recess. But it comes after a thinly-veiled reference to standards in politics by one of the Church of England’s most senior clergymen, the Archbishop of York.
Using his Easter sermon on Sunday, Stephen Cottrell urged Britons to ask what sort of country they wanted to live in. He said: “Do we want to be known for the robustness of our democracy, where those in public life live to the highest standards, and where we can trust those who lead us to behave with integrity and honour?”
The Times reported that Mr Johnson was set to focus on Ukraine, the cost-of-living crisis and a trip to India which will focus on defence and trade. As well as addressing MPs in the Chamber, The Times reported Mr Johnson would speak to a meeting of the entire Conservative parliamentary party on Tuesday evening.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, is also expected to decide if he can allow a vote on whether to refer Mr Johnson to the Privileges Committee - which would decide whether he had misled the House over his Partygate explanations. Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg indicated the defence Mr Johnson may reach for on Sunday.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s The World This Weekend programme, he said: “I think that when you hear what happened on the party for which he has been fined, many people would think that they were in accordance with the rules, when they were meeting people they were with every day, who happened to wish them a happy birthday, because that was the day it was. I think that was a perfectly rational thing to believe."
Sport headlines
Welsh coach reportedly set for shock job switch
Wales women could be on the brink of losing their coach in a shock job switch, claim reports. According to the Mail, Wales boss Ioan Cunningham is set to leave his current role after this year's World Cup and take charge of the Wales under-20s side instead. The paper report that under-20s boss Byron Hayward, a former amateur boxer, plans to return to that sport instead as a coach.
The Mail say the news means "Wales women's progression since they handed 12 players professional contracts at the start of the year is set to be hit by the departure of Cunningham."
It remains to be seen exactly how this pans out, but sources at the Welsh Rugby Union on Sunday were certainly mystified by the reports. They were distancing themselves from the speculation when suggestions Cunningham and Hayward could be leaving their posts was put to them.
The Women's World Cup takes place in New Zealand in October and November and newly professionalised Wales are on an upward curve, having beaten Ireland and Scotland in their Six Nations opener before losing heavily to England.
As with Wayne Pivac's senior team, Hayward's Welsh under-20s side had a hugely disappointing Six Nations campaign of their own. They managed just a solitary victory over Scotland and finished second from bottom.
Young Wales shipped 53 points against Ireland in their opening match, were heavily defeated 43-14 by England, lost 46-15 at home to France and were then also beaten by Italy in their finale.
Their results, coupled with the Six Nations outcome for Dan Biggar and his team plus the failings of the Welsh regions, led to calls for change amid talk of a fully blown crisis in the Welsh game.
Young frustrated as Cardiff bow out of Europe
Cardiff boss David Young expressed his frustrations as much improved Cardiff fell 40-33 to Saracens in Sunday's European Challenge Cup last-16 tie at the StoneX Stadium.
The defeat means Wales' European challenge for the season ends without any of the regions winning a single game on the field.
But at least Cardiff went down fighting after recent embarrassments at the hands of Welsh rivals Scarlets. They were ahead in third quarter, looking sharp in attack and tackling hard in defence.
Tomos Williams had a particularly strong game that saw him score a solo try and then set a touchdown up for Owen Lane. Rhys Carre also crossed for the visitors.
But Saracens had enough about them to withstand Cardiff's challenge, with Sean Maitland scoring twice and Dominic Morris, Aled Davies and man-of-the-match Max Malins also touching down.
Young said afterwards: "It was a one-score game for most of the game and it was a game we could have won I feel. We left some points out there.
"I am pleased with today but it leaves a little bit of frustration over where that's been the last two weeks really. Mark McCall said to me that's a game he thought we could have won."
