These are the stories that were hitting the headlines in the South Wales Guardian 50 years ago on March 25, 1965.

Drinkers at a jinxed Amman Valley pub were forced to put down their glasses and tackle a blaze when a fire broke out in the upstairs of the Prince Albert Hotel in Garnant.

Fire crews were called a second time when the car being driven by the sister of the Prince Albert’s landlady burst into flames as she went to help with the clean-up.

Cwmaman roads were being destroyed by the lorries transporting coal from nearby collieries to the Gwaun cae Gurwen washery.

“These heavy lorries are breaking up the roads so badly and the pot holes are now so deep that very soon even the lorries themselves will not be able to use them,” councillors were told.

The fate of the Ammanford carnival hung in the balance with organisers claiming the event was no longer worth the effort.

“The people of Ammanford are of the opinion that the whole carnival has gone down the drain,” one told the Guardian.

Tirydail Lane residents were being urged to tackle the vandals responsible for the “wanton damage” of plants and shrubs at the park.

“If people want to keep the park in good order then it is up to them to step in or at the very least report these yobs to the police,” Ammanford councillors were told.

A herd of 100 deer which roamed wild through the Towy Valley were to be shot after farmers complained they had become pests.

The herd, believed to have been introduced to the area by Oliver Cromwell, was being blamed for damaging farm buildings and fences as well as destroying crops and easting seeds.