15/04/2016 BBC Wales Today

Britain leaves. That is the all from us.

Tonight's headlines: A higher speed limit for two of our major roads,

the Welsh Conservatives' plans if they were in power in May.

These proposals have been welcomed by some businesses but tonight there

is concern they could lead to more deaths.

Also tonight, tonnes of waste illegally dumped in Carmarthenshire.

In my experience, this is one of the worst cases that my team has

investigated, given the scale of the dumping and the material that we

found, which included asbestos. And we'll have a special report

on why people living in Cardiff's Butetown

estate, fear their homes In tonight's sport, Joe Cordina

becomes the 4th Welsh athlete to guarantee a place

at the Olympic Games. Could higher speed limits on two

of Wales' major roads The Welsh Conservatives say that

raising the limit from 70 to 80 miles per hour could help motorists,

commuters and businesses. They say they'd look to consult

on the change if they won The idea's had a mixed response

from other political parties and one road safety charity is warning it

could lead to more deaths. Jordan Davies joins us

from the M4 this evening. Not much in the way of speed

on the M4 at the moment, which is to be expected

on Friday evening. But should people be

allowed to travel faster It's something the Welsh

Conservatives say they'll look at, if they're in power in Cardiff Bay

after the election. They are two of the country's

busiest roads, the M4 in the south and the A55 in North Wales. And if

the Welsh Conservatives are in government after May five, they may

become a bit faster. Above the M4 this morning, Andrew RT Davies the

party leader said it was time to look at the benefits of raising the

speed limit on both roads to 80 mph. There is evidence out there that

does show the economy would benefit by quicker transport journeys and

ultimately there is an ability with modern transport technology to allow

traffic to move more freely. The Welsh Tories say this proposal is it

out getting the economy moving and would only apply to cars and light

vehicles. It is an idea welcomed that this Hotel. The owner heads up

the Northwest or is organisation and says the quicker people are able to

get here, the more likely they are to come. It is a good idea in saving

some people sometime potentially travelling from the north-west of

England. There are problems with the volume of traffic on the A55. The

biggest complaint is that people are stuck in queues. Whoever is in

government in Cardiff Bay after the semi-election will receive new

powers to control the speed limits but it is not certain when those

powers will arrive. But like many things to do with the M4 and the

A55, we have been down this road before. UK Government list is

announced a consultation on raising the motorway speed it five years ago

and it did not arrive. There was criticism from road safety groups

then and there is criticism now. Brake says evidence suggests an

increase in the speed limit could lead to 25 more deaths and 100 more

serious injuries every year. And they also damage the environment and

economy. Some may argue it is already a struggle for motorists to

reach the current speed it. Others may say the speed limit has not kept

pace with other motoring advances and it needs to be changed. Once

again, the M4 and the A55 acting as dividing lines in Welsh politics and

not all the other Welsh parties agree with this proposal. This is

what they had to say. We know that road safety

is absolutely paramount and increasing the speed limit,

we would have to look at that very carefully to make sure it didn't

increase the accident rate. We have seen similar

plans being advocated They went out to consultation on it

many years ago and it has not seen I think we need to take these

proposals with a pinch of salt. The problem with those roads,

the reason is that the congestion is there is not because the cars

are stopped from travelling fast enough but because there

are not sufficient I am not sure there is much

of the M4 or the A55 where you were to be able to do 80

mph, but in principle, So that is the views of some of the

Welsh parties. Back to you, Lucy. Skip hire company from Llanelli has

been fined more than ?200,000 for illegally dumping

waste on farmland. The owners of Sospan Skips admitted

environmental charges last year. Natural Resources Wales says this

is one of the heaviest fines handed Overflowing skips and piles of waste

material. All of it dumped illegally by a skip hire operator that decided

to ignore environmental laws. During a five-year period, several thousand

tonnes of general and industrial waste was dumped illegally on two

separate farms in Llanelli. At one of the sites, they even discovered

asbestos. William Nigel Charles, the director of Sospan Skips and the

company secretary, Susan Charles, dumped a lot of their waste here at

this farm. Today, the couple were told to pay orders totalling

?180,000 and an additional ?5,000 in legal costs. Waste was also disposed

of at this farm owned by Bruce Charles. He is already serving a

two-year community order and has to pay 10,000 pounds in costs. This is

believed to be one of the biggest fines for this kind of offence. This

is one of the worst cases that my team has investigated, given the

scale of the dumping and the material that we found. For my team

and me in particular, this is one of the biggest orders that we have add.

Sospan Skips has a two-year conditional discharge and today the

judge warned the company 's owners they would face resentencing if they

choose to break the law again. Police are appealing for witnesses

after a vehicle was driven into the side of a bank in Prestatyn

yesterday afternoon It happened at the Barclays Bank

on the High Street, Some taxi drivers in Cardiff

are going on strike this weekend. It's been organised

by Cardiff Hackney Carriage Association over the way it says

complaints against drivers Cardiff Council says it's advised

all drivers to understand and abide The use of food banks in Wales

remain record levels. Despite a slight Rob on last year, more than

85 is open -- 85,000 emergency food packages were handed out in the last

few months. Organisers of the National

Eisteddfod are considering waiving the entry charge when the event

visits Cardiff in 2018. They also plan to ditch

the traditional Maes, in favour of an open plan event,

based around existing The controversial proposals will be

decided at a meeting of If we establish the tradition that

Cardiff has the Eisteddfod every ten years, for nine years we can

have the traditional enclosed field but for the 10th,

let's have a different Ukip has said its manifesto

for May's Assembly election proves it has more to talk

about than immigration The party wants to bring back

grammar schools and have The manifesto was launched

at a theatre in Newport today, and our political correspondent

Daniel Davies was there. For those who follow Welsh politics,

Ukip have provided a bit of a theatrical spectacle so far in this

campaign, thanks to the infighting in the party over choosing

candidates. Today, Ukip hope to draw a line under that drama with this,

its manifesto for the election to the assembly. These are the things

semi-members would do if you elect them to Cardiff Bay. In this

document, they say they have tried to keep mentions of Russells to a

minimum. Ukip would bring back selective grammar schools. The party

would cancel all Welsh Government spending on tackling minor change.

If the powers were devolved, Ukip would scrap the tolls on the Severn

bridges. It would also introduce elected health boards to run the NHS

and it thinks the current 60 Assembly Members is enough. We're

not talking about immigration and the EU, we are talking about the key

areas that matter to people in Wales. The devolved areas. Does

making all children sit an exam in the final year of primary school to

decide who is clever enough to go to grammar school really matter to the

people of Wales? But already happens. Children are assessed

already. But it does not dictate what school they go to when they

leave for secondary school. If you read the manifesto properly, you

will see we will do its and at 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15. Nathan Gill says

he would not have chosen Mark Reckless and Neil Hamilton. Take the

environment, they are the only party that opposes spending any money on

tackling climate change. They are happy for fracking to go ahead. They

have taken encouragement from the opinion polls and now they have to

turn out support into votes. Let's get a bit more now on those

proposals to abolish Our economics correspondent

Sarah Dickins is here. Paying to drive into Wales over

the Severn Bridge has upset motorists for decades and there's

been a long debate about its The Chancellor George Osbourne has

already said tolls will halve by 2018, but how reaslistic is it

to scrap them all together? A recent report argues that

would inject an extra ?107 million Commuters would have more cash

to spend, and businesses would not have the cost of the tolls

denting their profits. There is still a heavy debt

for the two Severn Crossings, That debt will still be over

80 million by the time the bridges go into public ownership,

possibly in 2018. There's also the question

of maintenance. Who would pay the ?800,000

a year bill for that? If tolls were scrapped,

plenty of people would be happy, not least the 80,000

drivers a day who pay them. For people who commute

between Newport and Bristol, the tolls count for 25%

of their travel costs. The bill for some

businesses is high. Braces bakery in Oakdale spends

?48,000 a year on tolls. And there is evidence that

without the tolls many more visitors would come

here from South West England and overall, more people would cross

in and out of Wales. Once it's in public ownership,

the money raised could be used on things like schools

and hospitals. So if Ukip scrapped the tolls

altogether, they wouldn't have And around Wales on the

campaign trail today: The Welsh Liberal Democrats have

been highlighting their stance The party would introduce a scheme

to minimise if they came to power. Plaid Cymru were discussing

tourism in Caernarfon. They would double the budget

for Visit Wales if they are in And Carwyn Jones has been at Wrexham

bus station promoting the Labour Party's ambitions

to develop a North And it's Carwyn Jones

who will be answering questions on our Ask The Leader programme

with Bethan Rhys Roberts tonight, 20 Scarlets players hit by a stomach

bug, ahead of a crucial And a colder weekend ahead

but we can also look forward In England, David Cameron,

has said he wants to demolish so-called sink estates and replace

them with better quality Whoever the new Welsh Government is,

they'll have powers But many in Butetown,

the estate just next door to the Senedd building

fear their homes will be demolished. As part of the BBC's Tower project,

Gavin Porter, who was born and bred and still lives in Butetown,

has this report. Here we are on the street. On one

end, you have Cardiff city centre, on the other, you have Cardiff Bay,

the Senedd, Wales millennium Centre. Here we are stuck in the middle, big

town. Quite often I ask myself the question, how long are we going to

be here? On the outskirts of the town, they have redeveloped these

new housing projects. It is inevitable it will close in honours.

We have become a part of the rest of the city rather than considering

ourselves a separate. When I look at what is being said in Westminster,

it seems even more inevitable that Bhutan will soon be no more. I think

sink housing estates where people can feel trapped in poverty, unable

to build a good life for themselves, it is time with government money and

massive help to demolish the worst of these and actually rebuild

houses. While his plans only apply to England, could it eventually

happen in Wales? Some say there are better alternatives to the

old-fashioned council estates. Across the city in Ely, home farm is

a co-operative where residents make decisions about what happens on

their mini estate. I am only 23. I earn minimum wage. I know someone

who lives on that side, you should see their car, you would normally

think they will be snobbish and would not speak to you, no one

ignores no one and it actually makes me feel like I am part of a little

family. I can see merit in EE farm but Butetown has lots going for it

to. With so much regeneration happening across the city I find it

difficult to believe the official line that Butetown is safe. There is

no waterfront. That is what sells in terms of new apartments and things

like that. I do not see the area under any threat at all. But I think

most people from Cardiff would recognise that this is a very mixed

community. I think there is real beauty amongst the concrete. I feel

there is love and spirit and ambition. I also feel that we will

be here for a long time to come but change is inevitable. And like the

man to Scott Heron said, we should try and direct the change rather

than cynical through the change. And for more on the BBC's series

looking at the lives of the community in Butetown

in Cardiff head to: The first Welsh boxer has made it

through to the Olympic Games in Rio. Within the last couple of hours

Joe Cordina, who's from Cardiff, beat Ireland's David Joyce on points

in the 60 kilogram category in the semifinal of the European

Qualifiers in Turkey. He's the 4th Welsh athlete

to qualify for Team GB. Amazing. This is what I set out to

do, the last six years of my life, I have been heading towards this

place. I tried to go for London but I was a bit too inexperience. But

this came at the right time. I would like to thank people around the

world who are following my progress and showing their love and support.

Another Welsh athlete hoping to be in Rio too

She'll compete in the 400 metres freestyle at

Carlin picked up a second gold medal last night

in the 800 metres freestyle, but she didn't finish

The squad for the Rio Games will be announced on Thursday.

The Scarlets held a shorter than usual training session today

after the squad was badly hit by a stomach bug ahead of tomorrow's

Despite 20 players being affected, head coach Wayne Pivac still managed

to name a strong side, including a return for Wales full

The players were told not to use showers or eat at their ground.

Football and the American investors in talks about taking over

Swansea City want to buy around a 60% stake in the club,

This latest offer would protect the influence of the Supporters'

Trust, whose members discussed the possible takeover last night.

The trust has a 21% stake in the club.

Some fans are sceptical about the takeover while others

To go to the next level, I am talking about turning this stadium

from a fantastic stadium of 20,000 into 30, maybe 40 in years to come.

Can you spend 40 million on that top layer? With investment, serious

amounts of money coming into the cloud, you have a better opportunity

to do that. More from John Hartson on Sport

Wales at 9:30pm on BBC2 Wales. To matters on the pitch,

Swansea travel to Newcastle. The Welsh side have won six

of their last seven league meetings Cardiff City manager

Russell Slade says he deserves to stay on as manager,

even if the club miss The Bluebirds, who play QPR

tomorrow, are five points outside the Championship top six,

with five games to play. Newport are away at

Stevenage in League Two. Wrexham's hopes of reaching

the play-off are all but over. Time for the weekend

weather forecast now. Perhaps some problems with ice.

Temperatures to minus one Celsius. Sunday

probably the better day of the weekend. High pressure building from

the West. The winds will change to a westerly so it was up to feel more

pleasant in comparison to Saturday. First thing on Sunday, a chilly

start, we have sunshine to look forward to. We might see cloud

increasing through the day. Temperatures of around nine Celsius.

Light winds. In any sunshine it should feel pleasant as the winds

are lighter and from the West. For the start of next week, much milder

conditions, but also drier conditions. More cloud with hints of

brightness. Temperatures will creep back up as we go through the week. A

cold night tonight and tomorrow morning we have a rain band clearing

the south-east. Sunday is the better day with sunshine, drier conditions

and lighter winds with westerly winds heading our way and things

settling down for the start of next week. Wrap up warm.

We've both been keeping an eye on the forecast for Monday because

Wales today is off on tour, starting in Pembrokeshire. We are weeks away

from the next Welsh Shem Billy collection.

For the next fortnight we are travelling the length and breadth of

the country, exploring the issues that matter in your community. First

stop, Haverfordwest. We'll ask what lessons politicians need to learn

about school reorganisation. And our political correspondents are

assessing what the political parties have on offer. And what do you want

from the next Welsh government? You've got the chance to tell them

as part of my manifesto 2016. I'll be gathering your ideas and

suggestions as we travel across the country and we'll pass them onto the

next First Minister. You can also us. -- you can also e-mail us.

Come with us on our journey around Wales. For all you need to know

before you cast your vote on May the 5th.

Looking forward to that over the next few weeks and hopefully you can

join us. Ask the leader is next on BBC One Wales. I'll be back at 8pm

and after the BBC News at ten. Thank you for your company and have a

really good evening. Goodbye.