Restore Britain councillor accuses police of misleading public over Bridgend arrests

Emily Price 

A Restore Britain councillor has criticised South Wales Police, claiming they have misled the public on the number of arrests made as part of a joint operation in Bridgend with immigration officers.

On Wednesday (October 7) the force issued a statement confirming that four arrests had been made following a collaborative probe with the Home Office at a Bridgend parcel depot.

A South Wales Police spokesperson said: “Yesterday we conducted a joint operation with immigration officers from the Home Office at a parcel depot in Bridgend.

“Four immigration arrests were made, and one car was dealt with for no insurance.

“This was part of a wider collaborative effort with the Home Office to tackle illegal working.”

However, yesterday evening, Pyle, Kenfig Hill and Cefn Cribwr councillor Owain Clatworthy hit out at the force, claiming the number of arrests was more than double the figure confirmed by officers.

Cllr Clatworthy did not provide any evidence to support his claim, but said he had been given the information by someone working at the warehouse.

In a post to Facebook, the Restore Britain councillor said: “Another day, another carefully worded police statement designed to underplay what’s really going on.

“South Wales Police proudly announce a joint raid with the Home Office at a parcel depot in Bridgend: four immigration arrests. One car seized for no insurance. Job done, move along.

“Yet I’ve been directly informed by a worker at the Evri warehouse on Bridgend Industrial Estate that the Home Office found ten illegal’s working there with no documents whatsoever.

“Four officially. Ten according to someone on the ground. Which number do you believe?

“This is the daily reality in the parcel and warehouse sector. Illegal workers undercutting British labour, operating in plain sight, while the public is fed the lowest possible numbers.

“Enforcement is welcome. Honesty about the true scale would be better.”

Nation.Cymru made South Wales Police aware of Clatworthy’s claims.

The force confirmed again that “four immigration arrests were made” as part of the joint operation at the Bridgend depot with immigration officers from the Home Office.

Cllr Clatworthy’s remarks come just weeks after he faced calls to resign over a false claim that a transgender paedophile had been released from prison.

The former Reform UK Senedd election candidate claimed on Facebook in September that sex offender Scott Henwood, who now goes by the name of Scarlett Lee, had been “released back onto the streets of Bridgend”.

However, South Wales Police later confirmed that this was not true and that Lee is due to remain in custody until May 2027.

Despite this, Cllr Clatworthy did not immediately correct his post, allowing the false claim to circulate online for several days before eventually editing it.

The post had been shared hundreds of times, with commenters expressing concerns about whether the sex offender could be living in their area.

Plaid Cymru’s former leader Leanne Wood accused the Bridgend councillor of “inciting fear” and called for him to resign.

She offered her Facebook followers advice on how to submit an official complaint against him.

Cllr Clatworthy has already been the subject of several complaints to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales this year.

In August, Bridgend County Borough Council formally reported the Restore Britain councillor to the public services watchdog.

Council officials alleged that he may have breached the members’ code of conduct by using the council’s official branding on a letter sent to a clergyman containing controversial comments about the LGBTQ+ community.

Bridgend Pride, along with members of the public, also submitted separate complaints about his social media activity, including comments he has made about Muslims and Islam.

However, the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales confirmed that it was not investigating those complaints, as they did not meet the necessary threshold for a formal probe.

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