28/03/2012 BBC Wales Today

Welcome to Wales Today. Our top story - Queues at filling stations

as motorists stock up fearful of a tanker driver strike. I am topping-

up because of what I heard on venues, I live on the farm and I

need my car. I just filled it up today instead of keeping his at my

Our other headlines tonight - Your doctor's surgery should open for

longer and on Saturdays - the message to GPs.

Also tonight - A man is being questioned on suspicion of

attempted murder following a collision between a cab and eight

men in Cardiff. Casey Breese from Caersws died

after a goal post fell on him - now new guidelines to prevent another

tragedy. And it's seen better days, now

Good evening. There've been queues at some filling stations across

Wales as apparent panic buying kicked in ahead of concerns there

may be a strike by tanker drivers. There's been criticism of a UK

government minister who urged motorists to store spare fuel at

home. Some filling stations are now running short with their operators

saying it's because of the increase in demand, not supply problems.

Roger Pinney reports. These days you can't get far on a

10 pound. At this filling station they have restricted how many

customers can buy. Just down the road they queue for fuel back up

onto the road. Only a few motorists would own up to panic buying.

Everybody is panicking so you can't win. That is it. I am topping-up

because what I heard on the news at lunchtime, I thought, living on a

farm, I need my car. I filled it up today instead of keeping it at my

normal half fall. It has been really busy today and yesterday. We

ran out of these so yesterday and petrol today. There's not enough to

go around. I have been to half-a- dozen filling stations are the last

hour and they all say they have been -- there's been a big increase

in demand. Some say they are running short on diesel and others

say petrol is getting low. It isn't because of any distribution

problems, it is because of this rush to buy. What has kicked this

off? There was this strike vote by tanker delivery drivers although

any distraction it is a week away. There was this from a senior UK

Government minister. There is no need for everybody to rest to the

petrol station. The great extent that people have fewer when their

vehicles, maybe a little bit in the garage as well, the long go will be

able to keep things going. That advice has been criticised by the

The UK Government advice has not gone down well with some motorists

either. I think it is stupid. I really do. They haven't given

notice of a strike. We have got a government coming on this morning

and BBC News saying Phil a jerry can. And they're wondering why

everybody is panic-buying. Absolute rubbish. Not handled well.

Everybody was always going to start panic-buying. Once it came out on

the news, everybody suffers. just isn't here in Wales. Demand is

up by 45% across the UK. Government in Westminster and Cardiff are

planning what to do if there is a strike. Motorists have reacted

before then. Your GP surgery should open later

in the evening and on Saturday mornings. That's what the Welsh

Government wants. It published figures for opening hours for the

first time today. Just under a third of surgeries are open for

appointments throughout their core opening hours of 8am to 6.30pm.

Another 26% came within an hour of that but 43% of practices, that's

205 in Wales, were open for even shorter hours. More from Aled ap

Dafydd. Good afternoon. This surgery near

Caerphilly is amongst the minority in Wales. There is a doctor here to

see patients between 8 o'clock in the morning at half-past six in the

evening. We try to be available over the phone. The door is open as

8 o'clock and we will offer appointments for blood to be taken

early in the morning. We offer a ray chance for patients to make

appointments on wine. We try to be as available as we can. -- online.

Contracts for our doctors came into force nearly 10 years ago. The way

they are implemented varies dramatically across the country.

Fewer than one in three surgeries are open throughout the core hours,

one health board was the worst performer. Wallace 6% of practices

them at the targets. Better access to GPs was one of the headline

pledges in labour's manifesto. They are trying to ease the burden on

GPs. There is a great emphasis on pharmacies to provide services. It

is an expectancy that doctors' surgeries will be open later in the

evening and on weekends. The health minister says progress is well

under way to eliminate half day closing surgeries and to extend

opening hours. From April next year the Welsh Government wants greater

access outside those core hours. I'm having discussions with the BMA

and general practitioners, I talk to GPs all the time. We need to

make sure that the News of the patients across Wales are met.

Rejigging appointments can do that. The last government will not

renegotiate the GP contract to try to force surgeries to open on

Saturday morning. -- the Welsh Government. It will be up to health

boards. The body representing doctors warning a Saturday you

openings will mean cuts in other areas. There are lots of practices

where the at providing a well- rounded diabetic service. More

important for patients is that. It is a question of local health

boards making those choices in terms of priorities. Juggling daily

life with an appointment that the doctor isn't anything new. What is

now being debated is how best to balance the needs of patients with

the working life of doctors. Dr Peter Saul is a GP based in

Wrexham and he joins me now. Good evening. For a lot of patience will

wonder why all GPs' surgeries are not open for the full day.

poise that the Health Minister was making are valid. There are calls

opening hours and there before 8 o'clock and have parsecs. It does

not mean there will be surgeries operating but there should be a

doctor you can speak to. In most areas there is. Doctors don't just

sit around doing surgeries. They do house calls, they do reports for

patients, they have to do a lot of administrative work in line with

meeting a lot of the targets of government has set, making sure

that patients get the right treatment. The job has changed. If

any of our viewers watched the Indian doctor, they would not

recognise the way it is now. There are different ways of working.

Let's pick a pub that point. Everybody is working in different

ways including your patience. What about Saturday openings? Many GP

practices would be quite happy to open on a Saturday morning provide

the we get the resources. What when you buy resources? It needs to have

to employ staff to cover the practice, there is heating bills,

there is talking to the hospital, making sure somebody is at the end

of the phone when you have a problem you want to discuss. Is

there somebody there? This Saturday is is is a whole packet. I am not

sure that in every practice the majority of patients want that.

Some practices, if they're commuter tie practices, it may be important.

It is much less importance for rural areas. Many thanks.

A man in his fifties has been taken to hospital after a gas explosion

destroyed his flat. The man, who hasn't been named, was at home in

the first floor flat in the Saint Mellons are of Cardiff this

lunchtime when the explosion happened. He was treated for burns

to his hand. Neighbouring properties were evacuated and an

investigation has begun. The Conservatives and Liberal

Democrats in the National Assembly have said they're against

introducing regional pay in Wales despite their UK parties' plans for

it. During a debate in the Assembly, concerns were raised that thousands

of public sector workers would be disadvantaged. Last week the

Chancellor said some government departments could introduce

regional pay deals from April. An elderly woman and her son from

Cardiff, who were found dead at the bottom of cliffs, have been named.

81-year-old Elizabeth Gosling and 58-year-old Christopher Gosling

were discovered at Beachy Head in East Sussex last week. Two days

before they died, Mr Gosling had been arrested on suspicion of

A taxi driver is being questioned on suspicion of attempted murder

following a collision between a cab and eight men in Cardiff. The 28-

year-old was arrested yesterday near the city centre. One man

remains in hospital with burns following the incident outside the

Millennium Stadium. Police are appealing for witnesses. Matt

Murray reports. It was a scene which shocked and

scared people passing by. It's believed a street row between a

group of rail workers and a taxi driver ended with this cab mounting

the pavement and ploughing into the men just outside the Millennium

Stadium. Many people in the capital on their way home stopped to help

before paramedics tended to the injured on roads and pavements.

Gaegam Cognard lives near to where it happened. He was the first

person to alert the police. I saw and altercation. I saw

someone being beaten up in front of the train station. He just walked

away from the sea and the next thing I saw his a taxi cab running

over them on the street. It was just here where it's

believed taxi hit the group. The damage here is clear to see.

Everyone I've spoken to has described it as a violent scene and

police are appealing for witnesses. Eight people were taken to hospital.

Only one 35-year-old man still remains and is being treated for

burns. Paul Duffy is visiting Cardiff from Monaghan in Ireland.

Last night he was walking past the stadium and described the scenes as

chaotic. There are about six police cars, it

was bedlam. I thought the bomb had gone off because they were so many

people, ambulances and police were here. A taxi driver is still being

held on suspicion of attempted murder while police examine CCTV.

A report by MPs into the breast implant scandal has questioned the

Welsh Government's policy on replacing them. The government here

has offered to pay to remove and replace banned PIP breast implants

for those treated privately, while in England the NHS will remove but

not replace them. Of the 1,000 women affected in Wales, around 300

have already been referred for treatment here. Let's talk to our

parliamentary correspondent David Cornock.

What is the nature of this criticism? This goes back to the

decision when the scandal broke by the Welsh Government that it would

not only pay to remove the implants but also pay to replace them. At

the time the Health Secretary in England said that risk letting

private companies of the up. That is an argument that found favour

with the MPs who published their report today. The chair of the

committee, an all-party committee of English MPs, says that as far as

he is concerned the taxpayer should not end up picking up the bill for

what is cosmetic surgery. What we're saying is that in England it

should be for the women's choice and the woman's risk to have a

replacement implants inserted as part of the same operation. It

should be very clear, this is a new private sector procedure carried

out in an NHS hospital like many private sectors procedures are. The

responsibility for that should rest with the woman not with the NHS.

How has the Welsh Government responded? The Health Minister has

issued a statement today weight she points out health is devolved

matter and says her response to the PA p issue has been based entirely

on what is best for women in Wales needing help from the health

service in Wales. A Welsh Government on theirs can do its own

thing. Far fewer people affected in less than in England so the overall

cost will not be as great. Much more to come before seven

o'clock. This was Colwyn Bay in the good old days. Can the pier's new

owner turn back the clock? Face to face with the past. Scientists in

Swansea investigate if these are the remains of Welsh archers who

The Football Association of Wales has written to every football club

in the country with new guidelines following the death last July of

12-year-old Casey Breese. Casey died after goalposts fell on him

while playing football in Caersws. The FAW hopes it'll help prevent

another tragedy. Cemlyn Davies reports.

A star who'll never be forgotten. That was one of the tributes paid

to Casey Breese after his death. A keen footballer, he was playing on

this recreational field next to his village team's home ground when the

goalposts fell on him. The 12-year- old was flown to hospital in

Shrewsbury where he pronounced dead shortly afterwards. After what

happened here the FAW launched an inquiry and even though he was not

playing on this pitch, the chief executive of the FAW has sent this

report to every club in the country with a series of new goalpost

guidelines. They include banning the use of so-called homemade

goalposts. These are posts which have been altered in some way. John

Ford's letter also says portable goalposts should be properly stored

when they aren't being used. All goalposts must be regularly

inspected. Phil Woosnam helps run a league in mid Wales. He hopes

others will follows the FAW's lead. We need to get the other bodies on

board such as the county councils, the town and community councils, to

help us. Cades arcades and they will play anywhere. -- cates

arcades. That is difficult to stop but hopefully with these ideas that

have come out from the FAW that will solve some issues. Casey's mum,

Sian, told me she hopes what happened to her son never happens

again. The FAW's aim, through its new

guidelines, is to help ensure that's the case.

Former workers at the Visteon UK car parts factory in Swansea have

been demonstrating in Westminster to mark the third anniversary of

the company entering administration. The group claim the value of their

pensions dropped substantially when previous owner Ford transferred

their retirement funds to the care of Visteon UK. Ford say it's an

issue for Visteon to settle. A �40 million fund to support small

and medium sized businesses has been set up. It's hoped it will

create 4,000 jobs, with the money coming from the Welsh Government

and the private sector. During a visit to Bridgend pharmaceutical

company Biotec, business minister Edwina Hart said it would help

businesses which sell directly to consumers, who are barred from

accessing other funds. Where we had our last economic

growth fund, the competition was intense. We allocated �50 million.

We hope very much says people will want to access this fund as well.

The future of Colwyn Bay's Victoria Pier looks a little more certain

tonight, with Conwy Council taking over as its owner. The pier has

been closed for four years and has fallen into disrepair. But it's

hoped it will be refurbished as part of major coastal redevelopment

in the town. Matthew Richards is there for us.

Thanks Jamie. A shadow of its former self, there's been growing

concern at the safety of the pier with pieces falling to the beach

below. But controversy still surrounds the sale with the former

owner claiming it still belongs to him.

Built in 1900, Victoria Pier has had a turbulent history. Destroyed

by fire in 1922 and badly damaged once again in 1933 it's had a

number of private owners, most recently Cambridgeshire businessman,

Steve Hunt, who took over in 2003. But he was declared bankrupt after

a dispute with Conwy Council and lost control of it in 2008. But

while he insists he still owns the pier and is challenging the council

in court next month, it says it's now the owner and is working with a

campaign group to attract �10 million in investment.

People are starting to buy into that. They can see something to

happen here so there is a lot of notice. In fairness, even those who

say polyp down, they do wish us well. -- pour it down. They are not

bought over that we can turn it around. The council says it wants

to include the pier as a focal point of the major redevelopment of

the town's seafront. That will prove expensive but the local

tourist industry thinks its worth If you add a fully functioning

paean and excellent opportunities for nightlife as well, you're doing

something to put Colwyn Bay back on the map. Down along the promenade

the day-trippers and dog walkers all agree that its past its best

and needs urgent work. It would be lovely to see it done.

Really nice. It isn't finished once they put his right, it will need

lot of maintenance. It would be a shame to knock it down. Does the

lick of paint! It should be renovated, definitely. It is part

of this area. An announcement about Heritage Lottery money is due

shortly, which could encourage more investment, that is if all the

legal hurdles are overcome. If the development does go ahead, what is

being proposed? Once you get past the basic repairs, as a cost enough

in itself, they are talking about a modernised approach. They want to

reopen the pavilion which was badly damaged in the fire in 1933. That

could be used as it confirmed -- concert venues. They want to bring

shops and businesses along the boardwalk. They would Open any

interpretation centre as well as a renewable energy section because

there is a wind farm off the coast. Why has it taken so long to get the

plans moving? In short it is because over the last five or six

years there has been a lot of black -- at bled between the previous

owner and Conwy County Council. He says it isn't fair their pier has

been taken out of his hands and sold without his permission.

Whoever is involved, most people think there is still life left in

the pier. Many thanks. She was the pride of King Henry

VIII's fleet, but in 1545 his warship, the Mary Rose, sank with

the loss of nearly 400 lives. Now a team of sport scientists at Swansea

University are analysing bones recovered from the wreck. They're

hoping to learn more about life in the 16th century and to find out if

some of the remains belong to Welsh archers. Carwyn Jones has more.

Coming face to face with the past. This skull belongs to one of the

hundreds of sailors and soldiers who died on board the Mary Rose.

But just who was he? That's what Dr Nick Owen has to find out. He's a

sports scientist at Swansea University so he's used to

analysing the bodies of the living, not the dead, usually elite

athletes. But the Mary Rose conservation trust asked for his

help and that's because they needed to know if these remains belonged

to archers who were on board the vessel when it sank.

We had to think a little bit laterally. If these were living

people, how would we deal with them? We were able to get living

Archers down here and make predictions as to the effect of a

lifetime of using longbow would have on their skeleton. What we

found was looking at the top bit of this year, this is head that forms

the elbow joint. On the right side this is about 50% larger in surface

area than the left side. So these bones belong to someone whose arms

and upper body experienced years of strain, most likely thorough the

use of a heavy longbow. It's been documented that a company of

archers were on board the Mary Rose when she capsized in 1545, off the

south coast of England. The wreck was eventually salvaged in the

1980's and on the sea bed archaeologists found hundreds of

human bones. Those bones still contain traces of DNA, which are

now being analysed by Nick's team. All of the information about these

individuals is contained inside that DNA. These are 500-year-old

bones, we can look at hair colour, I colour, perhaps Welshness.

Tudor times, Welsh archers were the cream of the English army and were

an important part of medieval warfare.

You have the pike men, you have Archers providing covering fire. We

did have a tradition of providing archers in Wales. It is likely that

some of the marchers on the Mary Rose were Welsh. These boats

represent just 1% of the total number of remains recovered from

the Mary Rose. The techniques developed here at Swansea

University of the potential to build a fuller picture of just who

was on board that ship when it sank in 1545.

Derek's out and about tonight for the forecast. Can we expect another

It's a gorgeous evening here. A little bit hazy but wonderful views

inland and down to the coast. So the weather today is the same as

yesterday and the day before and it's not often you can say that in

this country. Mind you, there is a change on the way. By the end of

this week it will be cooler and cloudier. Now with a clear sky we

have seen a huge rise and fall in temperature this week. A touch of

frost in Knighton last night but John Goodger who runs a weather

station at Velindre near Glasbury recorded 21C this afternoon. That's

11 degrees above average and the highest temperature John has

recorded in March for 40 years. It's beginning to cool down again

now and tonight will stay dry. The sky clear so turning chilly inland.

Temperatures in rural areas falling close to freezing again with

another ground frost. If you look to the west you can see the planets

Jupiter and Venus near the moon. Venus is really bright at the

moment. Tomorrow's chart shows high pressure centred to the west of

Ireland and that means cooler north-westerly winds for Britain.

So tomorrow another fine day but with one difference. Some high

cloud is likely so the sky won't be crystal clear and the sunshine will

be hazier. Nevertheless another lovely day. Top temperatures in the

south. 18 to 20C. Cooler in the north and west, especially on the

coast with a breeze off the sea. In Caerphilly tomorrow, another fine

spring day. Lots of sunshine and cirrus clouds. Temperatures in

Blackwood rising to 19 Celsius with a light breeze. Friday - more cloud

around. The odd spot of drizzle on the north coast but otherwise dry.

Some sunshine and cooler, especially on the north and west

coast with a breeze off the sea. The weekend cooler and cloudier.

The odd spot of rain or drizzle otherwise dry. Temperatures nearer

average. Hopefully some sunshine on Sunday. It looks like there's more

dry weather to come next week. Further into April, though, there

are signs it will turn more unsettled with some rain and

showers. So more fine weather and hazy sunshine tomorrow. Cooler and

cloudier everywhere by the weekend but I think we'll have to wait a

while before we see any useful rain It is coming up to 7 o'clock.

Tonight's headlines. The Prime Minister has suggested that

motorists should top up on fuel encase the strike by tanker drivers

goes ahead. Another minister advise family to keep a jerry can in the

garage. In part of wears motorists had been queuing up for petrol.