Last Thursday, local wildlife conservation group, Barry Action for Nature, organised with other local conservation and wildlife groups a "Nature and the Environment Question Time Hustings".

All local candidates were invited at the start of the campaign, they were also asked that if they were unable to attend that they could send a replacement instead.

Alun Cairns did not attend or send a replacement so the environmental group filled his place with an Emperor Penguin.

A spokesperson for Mr. Cairns had said: "Please accept our apologies but unfortunately Alun is unable to attend the hustings on Thursday. However, we will do our best to find a Conservative representative to take his place."

The three remaining candidates answered questions ranging from local planning issues to the burning of the Amazon rain forest, the reduction of meat eating, single use plastics and wildlife crime.

A spokesman for Barry Action for Nature told the news:

"A big thank you to all the people who supported our Nature and the Environment Question Time Hustings. Special thanks must go to the three candidates from the Labour Party, the Green Party and Gwlad, Gwlad who spent one and a half hours answering questions on wildlife conservation, the environment and climate change. "We were, however, extremely disappointed that Alun Cairns did not bother to turn up and defend his record as our MP. "The Conservatives did not even send a substitute in his absence. So we decided that a Emperor Penguin should take Alun Cairn's empty seat. "We are a non political conservation group but at a time when the effects of climate change is destroying the natural world it is beyond belief that the Conservatives did not bother to face the scrutiny of local voters."