26/10/2011 BBC Wales Today

Welcome to Wales Today. Tonight's headlines: An investigation is

underway following the death of a man, who it's thought became

trapped by a metal gate while making a delivery.

Also in the programme this evening: The leader and his deputy are among

three councillors being investigated for their conduct at

Swansea Council. We've been on the train to London.

With electrification on the cards, is a billion pounds to save 17

minutes value for money? In tonight's sport: It's over 40

years since they last did it. Cardiff City reach the quarter

finals of the League Cup. We're looking for unsung sporting

heroes like Lisa. We catch up with last year's winner.

And the Nutcracker like you've never seen it before. We go behind

the scenes with the Welsh company making sets for productions around

Good evening. A 42-year-old man has died after making an early morning

delivery to a wholesalers in Newport. It's thought the man, who

hasn't been named, became trapped under a heavy metal gate at the

back of the premises, which are on Agincourt Street in the Crindau

area of the city. Police and the Health and Safety Executive are

investigating. Nicola Smith reports. At just after 5:00am this morning,

emergency services were called to this gateway just off a quiet

terraced street in Newport. This lorry had been making a delivery to

Blakemore Wholesalers. The trade entrance is through this metal gate.

Hours later, the gate was on the floor. Specialist officers were

checking the gate posts and the surrounding area for clues to

explain how the man died. At this stage, police will only say that

his death "involved the movement of heavy gates". Sid Cloud lives just

a few hundred yards from where it happened. He told me that the

street is always busy with early morning deliveries, but that today

was very different. They start coming in at around about 6:00am in

the morning. Sometimes its earlier. I got up at my normal time and it

seemed to be -- this seems to be more activity going on. I saw the

police and there were three fire engines over there. There were also

ambulances as well. The man who died was 42-years-old and came from

the Merthyr Tydfil area. His family are now being supported by

specially trained police officers. In a statement, Blakemore

Wholesalers say they are "assisting in the investigation" and pass

their condolences to his family. The Health and Safety Executive, as

well as Newport Council's health and safety department, are

investigating. A gynaecologist who worked in

hospitals across South Wales has been suspended for 12 months. Dr

Priyantha Perera Kandanearachchi has been suspended with immediate

effect for inappropriate sexual behaviour towards a patient and a

colleague. People suffering major injuries in

parts of Mid Wales will be treated closer to home. The Royal

Shrewsbury Hospital is introducing a new trauma unit. At the moment,

people living in north Powys have to travel to Stoke-on-Trent or

Birmingham for treatment. That can mean over an hour's drive.

Welsh businesses who export to Europe are watching today's summit

in Brussels closely. Thousands of jobs here rely on exports and

there's concern that if the Euro crisis worsens, companies here

could be badly affected. I'm joined now by Russell Lawson, from the

Wales International Business Council. Let's put this into

context. How serious is the Euro crisis for Welsh businesses? It is

very serious. We do rely an awful lot on exporting and manufacturing

exporter and. In Wales, the average GDP we rely on for manufacturing is

24 % whereas in the rest of the UK it's only about 11 %. If we are

going to be hit with a whole market and we are not able to export, it

will hit Wales significantly harder than everywhere else in the UK.

it going to affect jobs? There will be lost orders for companies and

strict orders. They will have to look at the bottom line costs which

may lead to redundancies and as a knock-on impact, that has an effect

on the economy. What can be done to help businesses through this

difficult period? We have been asking for a lot more support,

especially for exporting businesses. We want to see the government put

more money in and help and advice to get businesses to look at their

goods and services to see if they are exportable. We also want more

help to export to the growing market. The euro-zone is an

important area but it could be affected so we need to looking --

start looking at areas which are starting to grow like Brazil, India

and Vietnam. But money is tight as we know. How likely is it that the

government will put some money in? We are talking about small amounts

of money which can have greater benefits at the bottom end.

Teachers and lecturers from Wales have been in Westminster today to

lobby Parliament against pension cuts. They were part of a joint

campaign organised by seven education unions. They say the cuts

being imposed to their pensions are too severe. The UK Government says

changes are needed to ensure pensions remain sustainable. There

is plenty of money in the pensions fund. Just have a rethink on the

extra contributions they expect us to pay towards the pensions because

they are sustainable at the moment. They have to make cuts and I

understand that. But they need to do a proper review of our pension

scheme. If that proves we need to pay more, that will be one thing,

but they need to produce that review.

A company which is taking over a third of the residential homes

formerly owned by Southern Cross says it will start running 17 homes

in South Wales from next month. HC- One says it's now ready to complete

the transfer of the homes. The company stepped in after Southern

Cross got into financial difficulties.

It'll mean faster, greener and more efficient trains but

electrification will come at a cost of over one billion pounds. It's

still over five years away but today a service ran from Cardiff to

London to demonstrate just how quick they'll be. It'll mean a

saving of 17 minutes off your journey but with such a large price

tag, is it really worth it? Matt Murray was on board.

Electric trains are the future of rail travel in the UK but today a

journey to demonstrate just how fast they will be was almost like

stepping back in time. With a three-course meal, business leaders

and politicians were here to taste not just the lamb but also high-

speed rail travel. No stops were made today to match the speed

electric trains will travel at and it will mean a journey time of 1

hour and 43 minutes but it will cost �1 billion. This journey

between the soup -- Capital cities is an indication that Wales is very

well connected. Do you really think that 17 minutes is going to make

that much difference? I think good infrastructure is always going to

make a difference to people doing business. People may not realise

just how close Wales is. It business leaders and rail experts

on board believe it will go a long way to improving business links

between Wales and London. When you keep adding it up, what it means is

not just 17 minutes one way, it is 34 minutes in two directions. That

takes half-an-hour of the travel time between South Wales and London.

That is the kind of saving we are looking for because that is the

kind of saving that will encourage inward investors to look at Wales.

But the line will only be electrified as far as Cardiff, a

concern for commuters like this lady who works in Swansea. Her head

offices in London and she thinks she will fail to see any real

benefit. The electrification of the line is until Cardiff so it won't

make much difference because I still have to travel between

the amount of time that will be shaved off the time of the journey.

A lot of the trains are already quite unreliable. Litigation is not

just about speeding up the service, it is also about making a -- making

it greener. These old diesel engines will be replaced and

instead there will be carriages her that will mean that more passengers

will be able to get on board, close to 20 % more. Today's train journey

from Cardiff to London was one of the fastest in over 20 years. It is

hoped that a letter vacation will make this a regular thing --

electrification. Still to come tonight: Football

coach Lisa Jones was our Unsung Sporting Hero last year. Who will

you nominate to be this year's winner?

And I'm at a new company which makes sets for opera, ballet and

The two most senior councillors in Swansea are under investigation by

the Public Services Ombudsman. The leader, Chris Holley, and his

deputy, John Hague, are facing questions about their conduct. A

complaint against a third councillor is also being

investigated. Carl Roberts reports. A clear view over Swansea this

morning and tonight, BBC Wales can reveal that the public services on

his own -- Ombudsman is looking into the conduct of the leader of

Swansea Council and is the pity. The complaint made about -- against

Chris Holley and his deputy John Hague and the Conservative council

-- and a Conservative councillor is being investigated. The

investigation is believed to refer to alleged discussions between the

leader and deputy leader and some opposition councillors about

Conservative support for the councils up rolling Lib-Dem

administration. In any male seen by BBC Wales, the deputy leader of

Swansea council confirms that he met with Councillor to discuss

possible projects. One of those projects included building a new

path where an old one had become overgrown. The man who says his

initial complaints sparked the investigation wants answers.

think this is a very serious breach of the code of conduct and it could

always be a breach of the law in that there are lots of safeguards

about the spending of public money. All three councillors and Swansea

council declined to be individual and said they could not comment

because of the ongoing investigation.

Tonight marks the deadline for people bidding to buy a grade two

listed brewery chimney in the centre of Wrexham. Bids have

already reached �900 on the auction website eBay. The town's former MP

and Assembly Member, Dr John Marek, who put it up for sale, says the

money raised will go to charity. Yesterday, we reported on calls for

a law forcing councils to provide public toilets after many have been

closed in cost-cutting drives. Well, Wales Today viewer Dave Robinson

from Llandrillo in Denbighshire got in touch to tell us how he and his

neighbours re-opened their local lavatories and maintain them as a

community. Here in Llandrillo, they're proud

of their loos. They were closed by Denbighshire Council in 1998 and

the building eventually deteriorated. But after a long

running campaign and careful negotiations, new toilets were

officially opened in 2005. From a tourist point of view, if you don't

get people to enjoy their stay, they do not come back. Only last

week, I had an e-mail from a couple in West Sussex who said what a

fantastic facility you've got. We will definitely come back again.

rota has been drawn up so that each week, different villagers take

responsibility for opening and closing the lavatories as well as

keeping them clean. It doesn't come cheap. The running costs are around

�1,300 a year but a �2 tax per household raises �900 and

Denbighshire Council contributes �500, making an annual total of

�1,400. Many of the visitors have done more than spend a penny here.

In the last year, ramblers have given donations worth more than

�100 towards the upkeep of the tireless. It is really nice if

there is a public toilet there because you can go before you set

off on the walk. Most of our members are all the people so it's

more important for us to be relaxed before we start. Of course, it is

frustrating if we find a place which is there but is padlocked up.

The lack of public toilets across Wales means plenty of people are

getting caught short, but this is one of the places where villagers

have stood firm, much to everyone's relief.

The day's sports news now. Here's The day's sports news now. Here's

Claire. Cardiff City are through to the

quarter finals of the Carling Cup. Their 1-0 win over Burnley sees the

Bluebirds into the last eight of the competition for the first time

in 46 years. Sachin Krishnan reports.

While their league form has been a bit up-and-down this season,

Cardiff have shown great resilience during their car in Cup run until

last night's meeting with Burnley. Their previous matches had all been

won in extra time or on penalties. Early on, Joe Mason came close to

opening the scoring, grazing the post when clean through. But his

moment was to come. Both sides created good chances in the first

half. Both goalkeepers being brought into action. With half-time

approaching, Joe Mason showed composure on the edge of the box to

The second half again saw chances go begging. The best for Cardiff

captain Mark Hudson who headed over from six yards out. I think whoever

was going to score first was probably going to win the game.

Since coming here are my main objective was to win a place in the

starting team. His gain intelligence belies his age. Again,

tonight, his movement was fantastic. He has good players around him who

are helping him. I thought he led It was in the 1965-S66 season that

Cardiff last reached the last eight of the League Cup. They eventually

lost in the semi-finals to West Ham who at the time featured the likes

of Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst just months before they won the World

The likes of Manchester United and Arsenal are already in the quarter-

finals with Cardiff. The draw takes place on Saturday.

The hunt is on to find this year's BBC Wales Unsung Sporting Hero. The

award was won last year by football coach Lisa Jones who trains girls

and boys at Penydarren Club in Merthyr. Well, with the closing

date for this year's entries fast approaching, we've been back to see

what life is like for Lisa almost Let's make some space and make the

passing much easier. Lisa Jones is a lady in demand. Apart from her

day job as a sports development officer, she coaches as a volunteer

three football team's five nights a week. This single mum of three

pours her energy into helping develop youngsters and it is that

selfless devotion that saw her win that and some Hero award last year.

I said I would love to rewind it back just for one moment to

remember what it was like. I was so mixed with emotions, I don't know

how I felt. I felt overwhelmed, I was happy, I wanted to cry. My

mother was sitting there. She was absolutely sobbing. She was

overwhelmed. It was a tremendous thing to win and I wish anybody

looked to win it this year because it is an amazing feeling. For the

club in a Merthyr, the recognition Lisa has achieved has also brought

huge benefits. She was absolutely chest and I think it is recognition

of what she has done and is a good advertisement for our club. A big

club with around 250 playing members, it is nice for people to

know that we exist. I think we are getting well known throughout the

principality now. One very proud member is at least a's son, Jordan.

She has been brilliant with the children. When she came in and said

she had won the award, I was very shocked and very pleased that she

had won because she is a fabulous coach and she is the best in the

club. Lisa is the pinnacle of what the award is all about. She goes

out of her way to help others in Sport and expects nothing in return.

12 months on, it is still nice to be recognised. You can imagine what

it was like for months a. Even people now recognise me. Now we are

looking for this year's winner. Maybe there is someone you feel

deserves recognition to. So is there someone you know who

deserves to be recognised? Someone who goes out of their way to help

others in sport? The person has to be 16-years-old or over and not get

any financial reward for their efforts. Nominations close soon on

October 30th. You'll find all the details on these websites.

Well, from sport to the arts, and a new company in Cardiff is making

stage sets for opera, ballet and musical theatre companies around

the world. Yes, it started trading just four

months ago and employs 40 people. It's currently refurbishing the set

for Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker ballet which comes to Cardiff next

month as part of its UK tour. Rebecca John has been taking a look

around and she's there this evening. They are busy here tonight. This is

their cake and these columns have got to be ready for the English

National Opera. They have got to be In the corner of a Cardiff

industrial estate stand some giant lips and a cake which weighs a

tonne. They're in for refurbishment ahead of Matthew Bourne's

Nutcracker tour which starts in 10 days time. The deadlines are tight

- the Nutcracker props have to be ready by Friday. As does the set

for the English National Opera's production of Eugene Onegin. It

includes a mirrored floor and walls as well as nine ballroom columns

which are eight metres high. There's also a barn wall which

weighs 2.5 tonnes. Scenic artists are given models like this to go on.

We get given from the welders, they put the frame, and then carpenters

plier, and we build it up with this foam. We cut in the group's and put

skin ply on and then texture that. Painting is the last process.

company also employs carpenters, draughtsmen and metal fabricators

who work off detailed drawings and models. Many are graduates of the

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, with degrees in theatre

design and stage management. When did you graduate? In May. This must

be a great experience for you. is, I didn't expect it. I have

definitely landed on my feet here. Two of the three company directors

worked for Cardiff Theatrical Services for many years, a

subsidiary of the Welsh National Opera. They set up their own

company four months ago and haven't looked back. The Nutcracker and

English National Opera's production goes on Friday and then we are

straight into Oliver for Cameron Mackintosh which goes into the

Wales Millennium Centre in December. Then we have got other productions

coming up straight after that for English National Opera and for

festivals. There is a lot of work. Beset has got to be ready by Friday.

It will be loaded on to 80 trailers on Friday and driven to the

Coliseum Theatre in London where dress-rehearsal start on Tuesday.

The hours get longer as the deadlines approach, but the people

here know, without them, the show won't go on.

Rhys Griffiths is the workshop manager. The deadlines are looming,

how is it going? It is going well. We know we're going to have

everything done and ready for Friday. What will happen on Friday?

We will have a train is coming in on Friday and we will know these

out and then transport them up to London. How do you do it without

damaging them? It takes a lot of preparation, thinking and planning

but everything is flat-packed. All this is taken into account at the

drawing stage. What about the columns themselves? They are all

packed strategically and put into position. What do you do then? Do

you go with them? Myself and a few of the employees will go up to

London and work with the stage technicians in London to assemble

them and take them through the build process and handing our

product over to them. If there are teething problems, you have got

people who can fix it? Yes, that is my job, but there are very few.

Thank you very much. Good luck. Derek is over here and I tried to

get him to jump out of the cake but he is not playing ball. How is the

weather looking? This would take ages to eat it. Lots of icing sugar

on this cake. There is some ground There was some dramatic weather

earlier this week with flooding in Pembrokeshire. Today, a mixture of

sunshine and heavy showers across Wales but more trouble is brewing

down to the south. The satellite picture shows a mass of cloud over

the Bay of Biscay and some of that is heading our way. So, this

evening, showers will die down. Dry and clear for a time but rain will

spread across the country during the early hours. Not as cold as

last night. Lowest temperatures in Mid Wales around four or five

degrees Celsius. Tomorrow's chart shows low pressure over the Bay of

Biscay, pushing a warm front into Britain. So, tomorrow, cloudy with

outbreaks of rain. The rain heaviest in the south and east but

the risk of flooding is considered low. The rain lighter in the north

and west and here it should stay dry and brighten up a little during

the afternoon. Temperatures on the cool side - around 10 to 13 degrees

Celsius with mainly light winds. In Monmouthshire, cloudy and wet

tomorrow. Temperatures in Abergavenny rising to 11 degrees

Celsius with a light easterly breeze. Tomorrow evening, light

rain in the south and east will move away, leaving a dry night. A

few mist and fog patches forming with some ground frost inland.

Friday, a misty start in places with some fog. This will slowly

lift mid to late morning, leaving a dry and settled day. Some sunshine.

Temperatures after a cold start rising to around average with

mainly light winds. As for the weekend, much cloudier. A little

rain but some dry weather as well. A few bright or sunny intervals.

The breeze picking up and turning milder with no frost expected. By

the way, there's a charity concert at All Saints Church, Porthcawl, on

Saturday evening. If you're going along, it should be dry. So some

rain on the way later tonight and tomorrow but the weather should put

on a fine performance on Friday. It's coming up to seven o'clock.

The headlines from the BBC: EU leaders have begun an emergency

summit in Brussels aimed at tackling the eurozone debt crisis.

Their aim is to protect the single currency against the risks posed by

Greece and other countries, including Italy, which have

struggled to contain their deficits. An investigation is underway after

the death of a delivery man in Newport. It's thought the 42-year-

old from Merthyr Tydfil became trapped under a heavy metal gate in