BRIDGEND MP Jamie Wallis has demanded that a national newspaper apologises for stating that fights take place in Bridgend on a daily basis.
Dr Wallis was reacting to a column printed in the Sunday Times by Camilla Long which commented on the brawl that took place last week in Ogmore by Sea.
In this article, she said: “Sure there was a massive brawl at Bridgend, but name me a day in June when there isn’t.”
Jamie said: “This is totally inaccurate and comes from a London based media group set on portraying those who live outside the M25 as being somehow ‘backward’ or ‘less sophisticated.’
“I am in regular contact with the police and I have never been made aware of any on-going problems with public order in Bridgend. I have asked the editor to retract the claims that have been made which have falsely blackened the name of Bridgend and for an apology to be printed.
“I have also invited the journalist involved to visit Bridgend with me and see for herself the many wonderful charitable and community-based projects that make the town a special place to live.”
Dr Wallis, who is a Welsh Conservative, said it was another example of how the national media is so out of touch with what is going on in the rest of the country.
Jamie added that on a point of accuracy, Ogmore by Sea is not located within either the Bridgend constituency or borough and lies in the Vale of Glamorgan. He said it was also his understanding that the fighting took place between gangs of boys from a wide area of South Wales, and not just Bridgend.
He added: “I condemn what happened at Ogmore unreservedly, whoever was involved. What happened would be wrong at any time but is indefensible during a pandemic. “
