Recent reports of dog attacks on livestock during the Covid-19 pandemic have prompted the Farmers’ Union of Wales to urge dog walkers to keep dogs on a lead when exercising in the countryside.

FUW animal health and welfare committee chairman, Ian Lloyd, said: “We are reminding those taking respite in the countryside to also remember our farmers who are key workers producing our food at this very difficult time.

“Many family farms in Wales have been hit hard by the closure of restaurants, cafes and other service outlets during the current pandemic.

“Avoidable losses, such as those that happen when a dog chases or attacks livestock, are unnecessary, bad for both dog and livestock welfare and add to the current financial stress being experienced by farming businesses at this time.”

A police dog sniffed out the stash of alleged drug dealers who were in breach of coronavirus restrictions in Bridgend.

South Wales Police tweeted a picture of police dog, Amber, saying she was in "top form" during the search this morning.

"Three in custody by the officers and she [Amber] locates their hidden drug stash," they posted, external.

The remarkable efforts of centenarian charity walker Captain Tom Moore will help hospital patients in north Wales during the coronavirus crisis.

So far, the war veteran has raised more than £28m for NHS Charities Together after completing 100 laps of a garden ahead of his 100th birthday.

The money will be shared among the network of 170 NHS charities across the UK, including Awyr Las.

Kirsty Thomson, head of fundraising for Awyr Las says they have already received £35,000, with another grant due in the next two weeks.

She said: “I’m enormously proud to be involved in NHS Charities Together. The national campaign is helping every health trust and health board in the whole of the UK, ensuring local communities benefit from all the monies raised by Captain Tom and other high profile fundraisers.

“Our aim is to brighten the lives of hospital patients and people receiving health care in the community by supporting additional equipment, facilities, special projects, education and research that goes over and above what the NHS provides."

Image source, NHS Charities Together

Image source, @SWFireandRescue/Twitter

There have been reports of increased fly-tipping in Wales since lockdown began - including App ClearWaste saying it had received an 88% increase.

And South Wales Fire and Rescue has tweeted a series of pictures showing more dumped rubbish across Wales.

"This is not acceptable!" the service tweeted.

"If you choose to dump rubbish you could be fuelling a fire & be contributing to a tragedy. @SWFRS_FireCrime, external are working with @NatResWales, external and local authorities. Please take responsibility & ensure your waste is disposed of correctly."

Five things you need to know about the coronavirus outbreak this evening.

Image source, @NWPWestConCoast/Twitter

A boy's birthday was made very special in spite of the coronavirus lockdown when a police mascot turned up at his door in Conwy.

Oliver would have been celebrating his eighth birthday with friends at Ysgol Gogarth in Llandudno but it was not possible.

So his grandmother contacted the West Conwy policing team at North Wales Police.

And when the force mascot, PC Ted, turned up with balloons, cards, badges and a cake, Oliver - who has cerebral palsy - "could not believe his eyes", according to the force, external.

“He was absolutely amazed,” said his mother, Liz.

Sgt Kim Owen, who was responsible for organising the surprise said: "It was a pleasure to do this special visit."

Image source, Getty

Action to help rural areas during the coronavirus pandemic is needed now, according to the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA).

WLGA co-chairman Dyfrig Siencyn called on the Rural Affairs Minister Leslie Griffiths to "voice her support" for agriculture, food producers, and rural businesses dealing with Covid-19.

He asked her to spell out her economic recovery plan for rural Wales.

Mr Siencyn, Plaid Cymru's leader of Gwynedd council, said the rural economy was "vital" to people and businesses in the area.

“I am keen to understand which support packages the minister of rural affairs can offer to income streams within diversification businesses, such as tourism, agricultural contracting, food and drink etc.

“These are micro-companies linked to a farm business that more often than not, are not eligible for any government support packages."

Mr Siencyn said he was also concerned about the "welfare and well-being" of farmers and wanted to know what support was available to them if they or their family fell ill.

The Welsh Govenrment has announced steps to help rural businesses, including a skills-matching service, external and grant schemes for farmers.

An extra £5.5m has been pledged for schemes to support farmers during the coronavirus outbreak

Deaths in care homes in Wales have continued to rise, according to latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Registered deaths in care homes - with Covid-19 on the death certificate - have jumped from 56 to 119 in the week ending 17 April.

Altogether there have been 184 deaths since the pandemic began but the total number of care home deaths from all causes has risen to 302 deaths in a week - from 219 the week before.

A third of all coronavirus deaths in England and Wales are now happening in care homes.

The number of care home deaths are 40% of all registered Covid-19 deaths in Cardiff.

Older People's Commissioner for Wales, Heléna Herklots has raised concerns about how well elderly people in care homes are being protected.

She wants more details and an action plan from the Welsh Government to address them.

"I am also not yet fully assured that sufficient action is being taken to capture and publish meaningful data on the levels of infection and number of deaths in care homes," she said.

Ms Herklots added that it was crucial for greater transparency and to "paint a full picture" of the impact of coronavirus.

A student nurse who spent weeks in a coma after contracting coronavirus said there were tears of joy when she finally went home and saw her children.

Natasha Jenkins spent 22 days on a ventilator after falling sick just before Mother's Day.

On Saturday, the 35-year-old finally got to hug her children in an emotional reunion at their home in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan.

"I'm so grateful to still be here," said Natasha.

Image source, Natasha Jenkins

We've been looking at where the deaths from coronavirus are showing up as hot-spots in England and Wales.

The Office for National Statistics offers a breakdown by local authority.

London has most deaths from Covid-19 - 1,818 in the week ending 17 April, making up 55.5% of all London deaths and 20.8% of all Covid-19 deaths.

Birmingham, as the biggest local authority, perhaps not surprisingly has the most registered Covid-19 deaths so far - 589, an increase of 86% on the week before. But its death rate has also climbed to 51.6 per 100,000.

The provisional figures suggest 13 of the 20 areas with the worst death rates in England and Wales are London boroughs or neighbouring council areas.

Hertsmere (92.12 deaths per 100,000) and Harrow (91.94) are the highest, followed by Brent (85.86).

Other notable hotpots are South Lakeland - which includes Kendal - the West Midlands around Wolverhampton and Walsall, Salford, Liverpool and Wirral, and Middlesbrough and Sunderland.

But where is the Welsh hot spot?

Early on in the pandemic, the hot spot of cases in the Aneurin Bevan health board area was highlighted.

The breakdown of deaths in local areas shows Blaenau Gwent (47.3 deaths per 100,000) and Newport have the highest proportion in Wales, followed by Caerphilly and Rhondda Cynon Taff.

Blaenau Gwent ranks 59th in local authority areas in England and Wales.

Border areas such as Bristol, Cheltenham and Gloucester still have comparatively low death rates so far.

You can read more in our feature: What do the stats tell us?

The UK's health secretary started today's daily Westminster briefing by talking about the minute’s silence held earlier across the UK for NHS and social care workers who have lost their lives during the outbreak.

Matt Hancock said it was a "moment of reflection for our nation and unbearable sadness for some" - saying those honoured were our "fallen heroes".

He went on to confirm the latest figures for the number of people who have tested positive for the virus and those that are currently in hospital.

He said 21,678 people had died in UK hospitals after testing positive for coronavirus as of 5pm on Monday - 586 more than the day before.

Image source, Getty Images

Wales needs to be able to do “significantly more” coronavirus tests, the health minister has acknowledged.

Daily capacity has now reached 2,000, with 1,191 tests actually carried out yesterday.

The government had hoped to reach 5,000 a day by mid-April, but this had to be abandoned.

Vaughan Gething said setting a new figure would not be “helpful” at this stage.

“We got into a difficult position on the previous testing figure, when some of that wasn't in our control and when other events around the rest of the world restricted the supply of a number of parts that we needed to have in Wales to increase testing supply.”

He said “every week for the next few weeks” more tests will be provided and the government should then be in a position to set out how many tests will be needed if and when lockdown restrictions are lifted.

Image source, Getty Images

An online booking system for coronavirus tests will be available from Thursday, allowing people to book tests at drive-through centres in Cardiff and Newport.

Slots will be prioritised for health and social care staff and “large employers of workers where there is a risk to business continuity for critical infrastructure or service delivery.”

A drive through centre will open in Llandudno tomorrow and in Carmarthen on Thursday.

Online bookings for those centres will be “phased in”, and an option to choose a home test will follow later, Mr Gething said.

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board has today welcomed its first patients to the newly opened Dragon's Heart Hospital in Cardiff.

The temporary facility at the Principality Stadium had already opened its first 330 beds, where staff will care for people recovering from coronavirus, and others facing the last weeks or days of their life.

The field hospital has a capacity of 2,000-beds and is the second largest in the UK behind Nightingale Hospital in London.

Wales rugby legend Shane Williams has completed his indoor charity cycle challenge.

Image source, Getty Images

Nine cabins will be erected on Anglesey to prevent people from becoming homeless as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

There has been a "significant increase" in the number of people needing emergency accommodation over the last few weeks, the council said in a statement.

The cabins will be located on the old Plas Penlan site, on the outskirts of Llangefni, this week.

Residents living within 100 metres of the site have been notified.

The council said the site had been chosen as facilities such as water, electricity and other services were already there.

It said new temporary planning guidelines meant the development was permitted for a maximum of 12 months.

Anglesey’s head of housing services, Ned Michael, said this time last year the area had 13 people in emergency accommodation, compared with 31 last week.

"That shows the increase in demand for emergency accommodation we have experienced since the start of the coronavirus pandemic," he said.

Housing portfolio holder, Councillor Alun Mummery said the authority understood temporary developments could "cause concern" for some residents but providing this emergency accommodation "was a requirement".

In other news, South Wales Police has confirmed one of their vehicles was involved in a crash in Swansea while responding to a 999 call.

The incident happened in Fforestfach at about 17:45 BST on Monday.

The van hit a garden wall in Weig Fach Lane and no injuries were reported.

Powys council is encouraging residents to come up with creative ways of marking the 75th anniversary of VE Day on Friday, 8 May.

With street parties and other events cancelled, and the need for social distancing, alternative suggestions include a mini garden party, a window poster or a dinner made from the ingredients available 75 years ago.

The authority's Armed Forces Champion and leader, Councillor Rosemarie Harris, said: “I would like to see us all make an effort to say thank you and mark the sacrifices made by our armed forces, and many others, during the Second World War, as they fought valiantly to secure our country’s freedom and that of many others across Europe."

She added the council would consider doing something later in the year with it being such a significant anniversary.

Image source, @LlandysulPolice/Twitter

Police have warned people against anti-social behaviour in parts of a Carmarthenshire town amid fears some were breaching Covid-19 restrictions.

Dyfed-Powys Police tweeted to say, external it had carried out patrols in the Stoney Lane area of Llanybydder.

It said this was sparked by concerns around anti-social behaviour and people flouting regulations.

"Please don't gather in this area to meet friends and drink cans of alcohol, and leave your rubbish everywhere," police said.

Tens of thousands of people across the UK have now died with coronavirus, including more than 100 NHS staff and other healthcare workers.

The BBC has been tracking their deaths during the pandemic and published 100 of their stories.

Among them are a pregnant nurse who died before she could meet her daughter; a father-of-seven whose family say he was let down over a lack of personal protective equipment; and a grandmother who colleagues say was one the unsung heroes of the NHS.

These pictures show the drive-through testing centre for people with suspected coronavirus that will open in north Wales tomorrow.

The facility will open at Builder Street coach park, in Llandudno, on Wednesday.

NHS staff, police, firefighters and care-home workers showing symptoms associated with the virus will be the first to be tested at the site.

They will be able to drive on to the site and self-swab without leaving their vehicles, North Wales Resilience Forum said.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board’s Executive Director of Public Health, Teresa Owen, said the new facility would play "an integral part" in the region's response to the pandemic.