18/01/2016 BBC Wales Today


18/01/2016

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It was much anticipated, but today the official

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announcement that Tata Steel is cutting a thousand jobs

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across the UK - the majority of them at Port Talbot.

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And the new head coach arrives at Swansea

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to watch his side win and move out of the relegation zone.

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Port Talbot is coming to terms with the long expected

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announcement that TATA is cutting a thousand steel

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jobs across the UK and the majority of

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750 jobs to be lost across Port Talbot and Llanwern

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200 more support workers will go too.

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Its a question many are asking and politicians are arguing about.

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Here's our business correspondent, Brian Meechan.

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After months of speculation, the announcement staff

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at Port Talbot had been anticipating came this morning.

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One of the unions unveiled a banner in support of jobs.

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Tata Security had it quickly taken down again.

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Tata steel has invested heavily in this site,

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including this new blast furnace and the company has been patient,

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but it is losing ?1 million a day at this

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steelworks alone and it hopes by reducing the number of workers

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here it can start to turn that around.

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It is the UK's biggest steel plant and

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it is showing the strains of the wider industry.

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Energy costs and business rates are higher here than in some

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The problems have been made worse by cheap imports coming from China.

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Tata hopes by cutting some jobs it can save others.

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With the measures we have taken, we are very

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confident as a management and as a workforce that we believe

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we actually can turn this industry around,

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not only for Tata but also for the UK and for the Welsh

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Are you sure that with the action you are taking today,

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that this secures the future of this plant for decades to come?

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There had been talk of the UK or the Welsh

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Government taking a stake in Tata's site here,

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an idea completely rejected by the company today.

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4000 workers and 3000 contractors are

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employed at Port Talbot in a well-paid jobs.

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We are just the keeper of the keys here.

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We've got to try and ensure this for our children

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The surrounding communities, the supporting shops,

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the builders who work for the people who are from here,

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This site uses as much energy as a city the size of Swansea

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The European Commission allowed the UK Government to bring

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in financial support to ease the burden of high

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energy users like Tata, but Welsh ministers say Westminster

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There are specific issues in Britain such as energy

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Now, the UK Government realised this last month.

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We have been lobbying them for four years and they said

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They need to show that they are doing it.

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Visiting a mosque in Yorkshire, the Prime Minister argued

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that his Government had taken action.

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The steel industry has asked us for action on energy prices.

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They have asked us for action on procuring more British

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They want us to take action within the European Union,

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and we have done that as well, but we will continue

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I want to have a strong British Steel industry at the heart

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Workers at Llanwaren say the announcement has led

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People have been at the meetings and they haven't really

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The company will be hoping these job losses, painful though they are,

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will be enough to satisfy Tata's Indian headquarters that this

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is a survival plan to secure Port Talbot's future.

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In the coming weeks, we will discover whether it

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has convinced the board of that or whether even more will have to be

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Just like towns grew up around coal mines,

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The steelworks cast a huge shadow over houses for miles

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So how is the community dealing with the news of the job losses

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and what of its prospects for the future?

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Vince Lewis and his family have a strong connection

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with Port Talbot steelworks that goes back

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My father worked in the plant, my grandfather, my uncle

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worked there, my brother is a crane driver there,

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my brother-in-law, my son is in the stores.

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Over the past few months, I've spent time

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with the family and job losses have always been in the back

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of their minds and it has had an effect on

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There are people with families, mortgages,

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children, who it will obviously have a much bigger impact on them

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A lot of people depend on the works for their

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livelihood and it is not only the direct people employed

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there but the many, many others outside of their who also need that

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Today, after clocking off from his shift, I caught up

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He gave me his reaction to the job cuts.

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It is really, really bad news, you know?

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It is a body blow to the local area and a

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body blow to the people and the plant.

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It will most effect the workforce, but it

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Despite not knowing exactly who will lose their jobs

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in the coming months, like the Lewis family,

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there is uncertainty in households around this town.

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The Sandfields estate was built in the 1950s to house steelworkers

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People here told me this latest round of job cuts is devastating.

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Well, I have a son and a daughter-in-law who are working

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We don't know what is happening yet, so just wait and see.

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It'll be like a ghost town if that shuts.

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There are a lot of people who still work down there,

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still four or 5000 down there but personally I think

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And of course, today's announcement doesn't just

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It will also have a knock-on effect on

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many local businesses, some of which are on this industrial

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From supplying vehicles and tools to filling empty stomachs

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at lunchtime, almost everyone has a connection.

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This hydraulics company believes such a significant number of cuts

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may well have an impact on them down the line.

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We supply the majority of contractors in there

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with the hydraulic head of the cases and fittings, workwear.

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And we are starting to see effects already, so we will wait and see

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what happens now in the next few months.

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Many have described it as the lifeblood of this community.

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of different families and a variety of local

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Looking ahead, it is hoped that those most affected will get

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the support they need at a very difficult time.

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Some of the day's other news now and BT is creating 100

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It's part of a move to take on one thousand new staff across the UK

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The move comes after the company pledged that it will respond to

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80% of its customers' calls at UK offices this year.

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A man will go on trial charged with the manslaughter of a rugby

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Daniel Jason Shepherd from Skewen, in Neath Port Talbot

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pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of Swansea RFC

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player Jonathon Robert Thomas who died following an incident

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Mr Shepherd was bailed to appear for trial in May.

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An outbreak of a sickness bug has led to the rescheduling of some

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planned surgery at Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

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There are five confirmed cases of norovirus

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after several people were admitted with diarrhoea and vomiting

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One ward is affected, and admissions to three others

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have been suspended, to reduce the risk of

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Two reservoirs in Cardiff that have been the subject

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of a planning row for more than 15 years

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will once again be used to supply the city with water.

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A previous owner of Llanishen and Lisvane Reservoirs proposed

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controversial plans to build hundreds of homes on the site,

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Campaigners are now celebrating, after Welsh Water

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We've fought for 15 years to try and stop the developments and get

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We had three public enquiries and any number of High Court

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actions, so it has taken a lot of commitment from a lot of people.

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Football and with new head coach Francesco Guidolin

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watching from the stands, Swansea City climbed out

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of the Premier League relegation zone with a win

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The Italian will work alongside interim manager

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Alan Curtis but will have the final say on team selection.

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Ahead of kick off, and a dramatic entrance for the match helped by the

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Royal Marines. Swansea have been in freefall for recent months, winning

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just once will stop the arrival of the new head coach at the liberty

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stadium was more low-key. Francesco Guidolin, in grey, has managed in

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his home country of Italy and France. He watched from the

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director's box while for the final time this season, Alan Curtis took

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sole charge of the team. In the Italian will have final say over who

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blaze. He watched as the captain put his side ahead. This goal helped

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lift spirits. It was a nervy second half for the Swans after Neil Taylor

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failed to clear the ball properly, Watford game first. It was all too

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much for the new head coach. The pressure could have been eased late

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on, but the ball hit the post. At full-time, it was a result to savour

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for Alan Curtis. He will now hand over the reins to the new man

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Francesco Guidolin. I knew he was coming in and I knew he would be

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watching the game and I think that also may have acted as a spur to the

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players as well. There is nothing more of an incentive than a manager

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looking down at you. The players were fantastic. Not just in the way

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that the play but also the spirit they shall as well the game was not

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thrilling, but a first win since Boxing Day means that the Swans are

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out of the Premier League relegation zone.

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Newport County have been knocked-out of the FA Cup at the 3rd round stage

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after losing to Championship side Blackburn tonight.

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After falling behind, Mark Byrne equalised for the Welsh

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But Blackburn, who played most of the game with 10 men,

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after having a man sent-off, won the cup tie,

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The games we've got coming up, I didn't really want to play them,

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Because we have so many hard games and the league is my priority.

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Yes, it would have been fantastic to get through but at the end

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of the day, I said to the players, I am not too disappointed,

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If they play like that, there will be no problems.

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Let's see what the weather has in store.

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Well, we still have cold air with us but there is more chance of seeing

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the sunshine tomorrow, but it will be a cold and frosty start to the

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morning. We still have some coastal showers tonight along parts of the

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West, but the bulk of the country is dry. We could see some ice as well.

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We have a yellow Peter Weir warning in force. You will need to take care

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especially on untreated surfaces. Tomorrow, we see lighter winds and

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more in the way of sunshine and fewer showers compared with today as

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well. First thing tomorrow, it will be cold and frosty. You will need to

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take care if you're heading out on those untreated surfaces but there

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is more chance of seeing some sunshine. It is feeling bitterly

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cold in spite of the sunshine. For the rest of the British Isles, we

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have a lot of dry weather to look forward to. Showers for Northern

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Ireland and northern parts of Scotland. Cloud in the Midlands

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which could seep into North West Wales and parts of the South. The

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bulk of the country seeing something brighter than today. Winds are like

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but it will feel bitterly cold. Three Celsius to six of years. Then

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we going to a berry cold night and to meet the clear skies and light

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winds will see widespread frost forming into the early hours of

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Wednesday morning. Temperatures getting down to minus three Celsius.

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Minus four Celsius in the countryside. High pressure as the

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controlling our weather on Wednesday. It is another sunny day.

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Still feeling chilly. Those temperatures between two Celsius to

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five Celsius. The winds pick up as well and then Thursday will see more

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cloud with a front coming in. Some showers possible but temperatures

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That's Wales Today. time we get to the end of the week.

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From all of us on the programme, good night.

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