Episode 2 Postcode Lottery

Did you know that where you live dictates what you get?

Even one side of a street can be completely different to another

because every part of our lives is affected by a line on a map

and a few letters and numbers.

Well, I'm here to get you a better deal

and to reveal what is really going on in the postcode lottery.

Today, size does matter when it comes to repairing

the postcode lottery potholes.

It seems to me there is one rule for one county and one rule for another

and there doesn't seem to be any standard of when they'll do something about it.

We meet a man who fought for his country across the globe

and now can't have a home of his own

because of the cruellest postcode lottery.

It is hard to even get anywhere with the house.

I'm just...hoping that everything turns out OK.

And we meet the postcode losers who believe the big banks don't care

their local branches are being axed.

This community is totally and utterly devastated.

I think it's downright rude!

-ALL:

-Come on, banks! Don't leave us out in the cold!

Are you going to be a winner in a postcode lottery?

Well, I'm here to help you get the right number.

Hello. My Postcode Lottery team, busy little bees,

have been roaming the country to find the most ridiculous

and inexplicable decisions taken on your life based purely on where you live.

And today we'll be bringing you Postcode Lottery stories from DE21,

which is Derbyshire to you and me, LL14, which is Cefn Mawr in North Wales.

But first, we're heading to pothole postcode lottery HP13.

"Where on earth is that?", I hear you ask!

It's High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire.

Every council across the UK has a different rule

for when a pothole becomes big enough to be a candidate for new tarmac.

And no-one knows more about this postcode lottery

than the residents of one holey road in High Wycombe.

They send people out, they just patch the road, fill it up,

and the minute you drive over it or rain comes, it's even worse.

We are not third world country, we are England. We are British.

We're supposed to have good things!

You know, I pay my tax and I work!

So I hope something will be done to our roads soon and very soon.

Welcome to Brunel Road in High Wycombe,

where the residents have more than their fair share in need of repair.

Though just a short road, it's littered with over 200 potholes

and it's making the lives of residents almost unbearable.

Especially for this man.

On our road, start avoiding the potholes.

Good job I used to do slalom canoeing!

All right. In, out, in and out.

This is Richard Piercey. He lives on Brunel Road and he is convinced

the potholes in this street are a potential death-trap for cyclists.

It could lead to a serious accident in this road,

the way the surface is deteriorating and the gravel also coming up

from the road surface.

Richard believes he and the road

are both losers in this postcode lottery.

It's very annoying to start off on this road first thing in the morning,

you feel you're putting your life at risk before you've even got out of your house.

So I feel very annoyed about the road situation.

Richard's wife Kathleen has had more than enough of Brunel Road's holes.

She is on a one-woman crusade

to bring peace, quiet and super-smooth surfaces back to High Wycombe.

The buses rattle along here and the potholes cannot help that!

I don't know if you can hear me over the noise of the bus!

But the buses certainly do rattle along here.

I don't know what the garage bill is for these buses.

Surely it must have an impact on the cost of running these buses.

-It's the worst road I've ever come across and we travel quite a distance.

-Yeah.

This is the worst of the lot of them.

Really is bad! Needs doing. Really does need doing.

This road really and truly is not fit for purpose.

And this is precisely why Kathleen's a one-woman campaign

battling the council for a safer, quieter street for everyone.

It's been almost two years since her campaign began

and Kathleen won't quit until every ugly crater has been filled in.

I e-mailed the council and got a standard sort of reply back.

E-mailed again and they said, "No, they're just fretting."

Apparently they're not deemed bad enough to be resurfaced

so there is this "fretting" phrase. They also say things like,

"We do not mean to be unhelpful or obstructive

"but we do not want you or the residents you represent

"to be any further frustrated by this situation than they currently are."

Well...not being responded to, not having any more information certainly doesn't help that

and I think we are quite frustrated about the whole situation.

Part of the problem is that councils don't even agree on what makes a pothole a pothole.

Your postcode really does determine whether your road gets repaired or not.

It seems to me there is one rule for one county and one rule for another.

And Kathleen's right. For example, in Gloucestershire,

a pothole isn't classed as a pothole unless it's at least the width of a dinner plate

and at least the depth of a golf ball.

However, in Coventry, a golf ball is nowhere near big enough to be classed as a pothole!

Here you are, Becky. Give that one to your dad.

Oh, no! In Coventry, a pothole must be at least the depth

of a tennis ball.

Tennis balls! Golf balls! Dinner plates!

Confusing?! Is it just me or does anybody else feel like they need a check-up from the neck up?!

Information can be power in the battle of the potholes

and there is something all of us can do.

So back to High Wycombe, where we'll try and prove

that the ruler can be used against the rulers.

Armed with the dimensions of a Buckinghamshire Category 1 pothole,

Kathleen sets out to see if her road qualifies for an urgent repair.

According to the Bucks County Council,

a pothole needs to be at least 300mm wide and have a depth of about 40mm.

I consider this to be a pothole here that's worth fixing. So...

..this pothole is...

..well over 300mm wide. There's the 300mm mark.

And I would say it's at least twice that.

Width-wise...this is...at least 60mm deep,

and the minimum requirement is 40. I would say it's well over there.

So I consider that to be some pothole.

OK, I am going to phone up the council now

and report that pothole in Brunel Road that I looked at this morning.

'Welcome to Buckinghamshire County Council, Transport for Buckinghamshire...'

# There I was, digging this hole

# Hole in the ground So big and sort of round, it was... #

'Thank you for your patience.

'Your call is important to us and an adviser will be with you as soon as possible.'

-MUSIC PLAYS

-This isn't getting anywhere. I think I'll just e-mail them.

So, it was 600 plus...

millimetres across,

which I think constitutes a Category 1 pothole.

Submit.

See what happens now.

# That's the place where the hole's gonna be... #

And whilst Kathleen awaits action from Buckinghamshire Council,

she sees it as her civic duty to warn other users of the dangers

potholes can bring.

They put their thumbs up. That's great.

You should be able to find out the dimensions a pothole needs to be to be repaired

from your local council and keep asking because it's your right to know.

We approached Buckinghamshire Council on several occasions

to comment on their potholes policy but they failed to get back to us.

In the meantime, I can report a victory for Kathleen and the Postcode Lottery team

because she's had 200 potholes in her street filled in.

So you can do something about it. Get out there with your dinner plates or your balls -

I'll need that one back, Becky, ever so sorry -

tell the council I told you to call.

# And that's that! #

Thousands of men and women from this country

leave the armed forces every year,

some of them having served on a frontline tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Our politicians have promised them homes for heroes when they return.

But our team have travelled to Derby

to uncover a postcode lottery scandal that is shaming a nation.

They fight selflessly for Queen and country with no thought for their own safety.

Many have made the ultimate sacrifice with their lives but what happens to those left behind,

those who have to live with the memories of war?

Some return with physical scars, some with mental,

but all are in need of support and rehabilitation.

It's a sad truth that too many are not offered the promised home for a hero,

often finding themselves without a roof over their heads.

Brendan Ogden has completed two tours in Afghanistan,

the first in Lashkar Gah, where he was assigned to protect civilians and keep the peace.

Brendan's second tour was in 2009,

where his missions included delivering weapons, ammunition,

food and other supplies to the many bases in Helmand.

He was constantly in the line of fire...

EXPLOSIONS

..and saw many of his friends and colleagues seriously injured.

Brendan arrived home traumatised by his experiences of war.

He's now been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

He's on a heavy dose of medication

and finds it difficult to function normally.

I didn't really know I had it until me attitude started

changing around people, towards people, as well.

I get moody, anxious,

start shaking and most of the time just flip out with someone.

I changed in myself.

I'm not lively any more, I used to be lively, and do stuff.

There is no uniform policy across the country on providing

homes for heroes, and there are massive variations.

Like many of other authorities, the city of Derby,

does not prioritise housing for returning soldiers.

And so, after serving his country,

Brendan is now living as a houseguest

in very cramped conditions with members of his family.

Without their support, he would very likely be homeless.

I'm living with me sister,

and her boyfriend, as well as their kid,

and my brother as well.

It's a two-bedroom flat, so it's pretty crammed in.

This is the first room where Cody sleeps,

and my sister and her boyfriend.

This is my room, where I sleep with my brother. It's a bit cramped.

Brendan has found the transition

from life on the frontline to life on civvy street incredibly difficult.

The council housing application process can feel long,

drawn-out, and even intimidating for ex-servicemen like Brendan.

I've been waiting for quite a bit now, but it is hard.

It does take a long time to actually process,

to even get anywhere with the house.

While waiting for a flat,

Brendan shares a small room with his twin brother, Matt.

Having to sleep together on a small sofa bed.

Matt has also had to become Brendan's carer.

Just can't seem to split us up really.

I look out for him, make sure he's getting up,

because suffering from depression,

keeping going, motivated throughout the day.

The council have not been responding to him much at all, to be honest.

We keep going back there,

to let them know that he is desperate for a place of his own.

But for the time being, we have to cope.

All Brendan wants is a home of his own.

Today he's travelling just 24 miles

across the Midlands to Mansfield to see his old Army buddy Patrick,

but he's also going to see how this postcode lottery can make winners and losers,

for the reunion is taking place in Patrick's own council flat.

The former comrades completed two tours of Afghanistan together.

-How are you?

-How you doing?

-OK.

-Have you been looking after yourself?

-Yeah, good.

-Got a job yet?

-No.

They shared many experiences on the front line and are now

both facing a battle against post-traumatic stress disorder.

I was part of a team training the Afghan army, and the Afghan police.

This tool wasn't such a good tour really.

I was blown up, and one of my close friends died in the explosion.

When it's that close, it's a bit different, a bit hard to take on.

I think that's part of why I have got post-traumatic stress.

That's the main reason why I came out, really.

But it helps to share memories, good and bad.

-That was on a big op, that was. Can you remember that?

-Yeah. Oh, my God.

I look nice, don't I? Dead good, actually. I actually feel better.

Talked a bit on the phone, internet and that.

Yeah, it's good to actually see him after a year.

For all they have in common, their experience of getting adequate housing couldn't be more different.

With the help of Mansfield Council, Paddy was given his home

within weeks of returning from Afghanistan.

Little girl stays here when she comes.

-Kitchen, normal everyday thing.

-Nice and big, isn't it?

There's a lot of space.

Probably better than yours. Own space, time to yourself.

Five people inside a real small flat, I can only fit two in anyway.

Mansfield Council has only fairly recently changed its policy towards returning soldiers,

recognising that they need greater priority and support.

Jason Rathbone is Mansfield Council's veteran support officer,

and himself fought in the Gulf War.

He helps former soldiers to try and get their lives back together,

and understands how post-traumatic stress can become a huge

obstacle to them.

PTSD means that you can't relax.

So, being in a public environment, travelling on public transport,

doing anything like that in a public environment can be very daunting.

Actually coming to this environment to actually apply for housing,

sometimes can be a very difficult proposition.

The main crux of it is you need somebody like me

as a centre point within the community, to engage with people.

I think it has made all the world of a difference to Patrick

to have me there really, to sort of, like, deal with everything

to do with housing benefit, because he just has to go to one person

who fully understands where he's coming from,

and what he's been through,

and it's made the process, for Paddy, painless.

I thought I was stuck really, I thought I'd be homeless,

stuck in a tent, or something like that.

Everything got sorted out, the council were spot-on,

helped in every way that they could.

Otherwise I'd have been on the streets, without a doubt.

Haley Barsby is head of housing in Mansfield Council, and admits

that they needed someone like Jason to show them that they had to change their policy.

Jason is very passionate about what he does, and listening to him,

and then beginning to appreciate the set of circumstances

that ex-veterans, who are returning,

potentially from quite traumatic experiences, are facing.

It was a bit of a light-bulb moment, where you do think, "My goodness,

"these people do need more help than we're currently offering them."

Having seen Brendan again, Patrick wishes that his friend

could get all the help and support that he has received.

I don't know why other areas can't be like Mansfield Council are being.

You serve your country, you do what you can,

then as soon as you leave, that's it.

It's like you are chucked to one side.

I just think it's pretty disgusting, really.

Paddy told us about Brendan. How he had just come out as well.

Paddy's quite a close friend of his, and is quite concerned about him.

And to try and get him the help he needs,

Jason has decided to take on his case.

What I'd like to see is Derby City Council

actually take notice of the legislation that exists.

He is homeless, he is sofa surfing, that's not justified.

If they dilly-dally he'll be lost to them.

This is how people fall out of the system, and end up homeless.

This is a real and constant danger in modern Britain.

It's estimated that there are thousands of ex-servicemen

and women sleeping rough on the streets.

Back in Derby, after months of waiting,

Brendan is still living in his family's overcrowded flat.

Jason continues to pursue his case, but as yet there is still

no sign of Brendan getting his own place.

I hope to get better from PTSD,

have somewhere to live,

hopefully rely on myself, without other people trying to help me,

which I don't like that a lot. I don't like being helped.

I'm just hoping that everything turns out OK.

It's now six months since Brendan applied to be housed,

and he still sleeping on his sister's settee.

So, we contacted Derby council, and asked them

what their policy is regarding ex-service men and women,

and they said:

And as for Brendan, the council informed us that...

Look, this postcode lottery isn't really about Derby,

or the dozens of other councils who don't have a policy

or priority in this area. It's a Government thing.

So, come on, Mr Prime Minister, come on, Mr Minister for Defence,

and come on, Mr Home Secretary.

Attention, get your finger out!

And finally, there's good news for Brendan.

We have just heard that Derby has paid attention,

pulled their finger out, and offered a Brendan a council flat.

Good on you, Brendan!

Every day this week we're going to bring you

a bite-size list of postcode lottery fame and shame.

You know, winners and losers.

The choice of subjects is so wide, you wouldn't Adam and Eve it.

So, you're sitting your driving test, you're very nervous,

but at least all is fair in love and driving tests, right?

Well, not quite. According to the Department for Transport's most recent figures,

the average nationwide pass rate for cars is 47%.

So, where do you need to live to improve your chances

of passing your test?

Well, the test centre with the highest pass rate is

Norwich LGV, where everyone passed their test.

OK, only two people took it, so maybe that explains it.

And that is closely followed by the Isle of Mull,

with a pass rate of 92%

and the Isle of Tiree, with a pass rate of 87.

So, where is the place that you really don't want to live

if you are taking your driving test?

And, they are in reverse order:

The third most difficult place to pass Watnall LGV,

where 33% of drivers passed.

Second toughest is Wanstead, in Berkshire,

with 32% pass rate.

And the toughest... Drum roll, please. Drum roll, please.

DRUM ROLL

..is Heaton, in Bradford, with just over 31% passing.

Now, the question I'm asking,

and I'm sure you are, is exactly why pass rates are so different.

As they say, we are carrying out a full investigation,

but haven't quite yet got the full answer.

It goes without saying that we would all want our kids to go to

the best school possible, and let's be honest,

we all know it's a postcode lottery.

But wait till you meet the Nunn family from Suffolk,

because they believe one tiny little millimetre on a council map

has made them school lottery postcode losers.

But wait till you see what they are thinking of doing about it.

Many people move house to get into

the catchment area of a particular school,

but this family are contemplating moving 100 yards

into their own garage to prevent a family split.

Come on, girls, into your new house.

For the time being, though,

they are staying put in their house, and living with the consequences of a school nightmare.

All they want is for their three girls

to be in the same primary school.

Ten-year-old Keeley, and six-year-old Shannon

go to Burton End, their local school.

Their sister, Four-year-old Demi,

was refused a place in Burton End, and has just been forced to start

at Place Farm school, 20 minutes away in the opposite direction.

When their mum appealed against the decision, she was shown how

her postcode made little Demi one of the youngest lottery losers.

They send you a map to show your catchment area.

When you look at the map, it does look like this

thick black line goes through our house, basically.

When I saw the map, I thought we was fine,

everyone I have shown also thought we were in the catchment area.

Once they scaled in this map, it shows that we're not.

They said that the line was drawn too thick,

because they have sent everyone the same map,

they wanted to make sure everyone could see the catchment area.

That black line on the postcode lottery map has changed

family life in the first week of a new term.

It's a brand-new frantic school run.

Quite a hectic morning, really, now.

By 8:50 Keeley and Shannon have reached their school.

Demi also has to start at 8:50, but obviously I can't get there

to two schools at once, so we had to walk from Burton End to Place Farm,

which takes 20 minutes if we're walking fast,

so she does have to start school 20 minutes late, every day,

and then I had to pick up 20 minutes early.

She misses 40 minutes a day of school,

which is not good for her education.

Suffolk County Council have suggested to me that my 10-year-old

walks my six-year-old to school, and walks home everyday.

I explained that Keeley starts 10 minutes before Shannon,

she will be in the playground for 10 minutes on her own,

they said, "can your six-year-old walk herself to school?" Which I replied "No,"

because I think that's disgusting, to even suggest it,

I just find that wrong.

I feel quite upset really that Demi has been let down by Suffolk Council,

really, because she is a shy little girl, and she doesn't settle great.

It took me ages for me to get settled into playschool and nursery,

and I explained all of this,

but I just feel that they don't listen to you,

and it is quite upsetting really to know that she can't go

with her sisters, because they are very, very close. Who we getting first, Keeley or Shannon?

The family divide has got so severe

that Kelly has even considered breaking the law.

The admissions team, when I contacted them,

they basically said that if I don't send Demi to school,

because I refuse to start with, that I wasn't going to send her to school.

They said that I can face up to 12 weeks in prison

for not sending her to school.

They haven't been helpful at all.

They keep telling me that she is fifth on the waiting list,

and that there's nothing they can do.

It's little Demi which is what it's really affecting,

because it's so far to walk for a little one.

Basically, she's coming home from school and she's flaking out.

The family have been forensically examining

a more detailed council map,

making the school catchment area even clearer,

and the postcode lottery even more frustrating.

So, on the map, it actually comes into our garden.

This is the borderline, on here, as the fence goes round.

So, if we were the other side here, my hand is in the catchment area.

-Isn't it?

-Yes, because that goes like that.

It actually follows the fence line around to here, doesn't it?

If we could ask our friendly neighbour

for a yard of their garden, we would be all right, wouldn't be?

It's crazy isn't it? Absolutely crazy.

Ian and Kelly though,

have spotted one potential loophole in the bureaucratic

insistence on the importance of that thin black line on the map.

Right, you're on the line there, Kell, and It stops here.

Takes in all the garages.

Our garage is there, which is obviously in the catchment area.

-All of them are in the catchment area.

-Yeah, all of them.

I find it really silly,

because if our house isn't in the catchment area, fair enough,

but our garage is, so we might move in there.

Come on, girls, into your new house.

We asked Suffolk County Council for their thoughts

on the family's situation, and they gave us the following statement.

So, there we are, Demi, you'll have to keep waiting.

All of us value our local services - the corner shop,

the post office, and of course, our local bank.

Despite opposition,

it's estimated that 10 banks a month are being closed down.

Our postcode lottery team have discovered that

the decision as to whether those banks remain open or closed

is being made in EC4.

THAT is the banking capital of London.

Let's be honest,

the City of London square mile is not the most popular of postcodes,

and bankers are making decisions here that affect your local branch.

To close, or not to close? That is the question.

But, there is no set standard or figures which banks use

to decide whether to keep yours open.

And it's all done in secret, behind closed doors.

For those living with the consequences, though,

it feels like a lottery in which they don't even have a ticket.

We've travelled to Powys, in mid Wales, where people are feeling like

they are always the losers in this lottery, and they want some answers.

The beautiful rolling countryside in mid Wales,

a gorgeous place to live, but like all of us in these difficult economic times,

a place where people still have to battle to make a living.

Cefn Mawr is a village where the locals are

working hard for a brighter future.

It's just been earmarked for a multi-million pound regeneration scheme by the Welsh government.

The regeneration plan will hopefully bring jobs

and money into the local economy,

but one thing is clouding their future -

it's becoming the village with no bank.

HSBC announced their plans to close the only bank left in town.

It's a real blow to Cefyn Mawr, just ask Councillor Warren Coleman.

We are a regeneration village, and there's no banks except for this one.

So, for people to say, how can you regenerate a village

if you haven't even got a bank?

It's an integral part of a village. I feel it's a bit premature.

They're judging Cefn on what it looks like now,

before all the things which are in the pipeline can come to fruition.

The locals in the village are just as confused and angry at the HSBC decision.

So, once that shuts,

we'll have to go right over to the next village to use their banking

facilities, but they're in danger as well, that's a small place.

You need to be able to speak to somebody face-to-face, not over the phone.

Because it's a small community, isn't it?

They probably don't think it's doing as well as it actually does,

but that bank is always busy.

After months of campaigning, and a carefully constructed case

sent to her HSBC, the community's hopes were raised

when they were invited to a meeting at the bank's HQ.

So, surely they would get a fair and considered hearing?

They were very selective at who they met.

They met the chairman, and myself as vice-chairman,

also the county council, the AM, and the member of Parliament.

I thought, "Oh, we got a good chance here,"

because it was a high-powered delegation.

They didn't want to know.

They wound up the meeting by saying, "Oh, we've made our mind up now.

"I'm sorry, but we are going to close it."

So, we all came out of the meeting a bit dejected,

and said, "What on earth did we go down there just to hear that?

"She could have told us that from the very beginning.

So, what did the world's local bank have to say about this?

"This branch is one of the most underused in the country,

"and that is the main reason for the closure."

So, we decided to put this to the test,

using our state-of-the-art time-lapse camera.

We're going to see if that's really the case.

The bank is open for three and a half hours each day,

and we are going to count every customer using the branch,

to see if it is really as underused as HSBC says.

So, by our account,

in three and a half hours of opening 55 people entered the bank

to use the over-the-counter facilities,

and 98 people use the cash machine.

Is that what HSBC call "underused?"

Our search for that endangered species, the local bank,

now takes us 26 miles to Llanrhaeadr - another village which was set

to lose its only bank, and yes, another branch of HSBC.

Sue Evans Hughes has been trying to get answers

from HSBC's headquarters in London, EC4.

She wants to know, why has her bank lost out in its postcode lottery?

They haven't been coming up with any answers,

and they're not going to budge over the closure,

even after nearly everyone in the area signed a petition.

So, let's just pray that it gets something done.

This community is totally and utterly devastated.

So much for this "Talk to your local bank."

I'm sorry, but it's not a local bank

if we've got to travel 30 miles round-trip

to Oswestry, or even 12 miles round-trip to Llanethli,

which, that's fine for someone who can drive,

but not for someone that doesn't drive.

I think it's downright rude.

Where is the politeness, where is normal politeness?

The closure of many banks has been attributed

to the surge in online banking.

But here is where people like Sue are victim

to the postcode lottery double whammy.

People in a significant number of rural areas

don't have access to broadband, and even if you have got it,

it can be a bit scary.

See, when I'm doing this, I'm just too scared to

go and press on anything.

I don't know what I'm doing, I'm afraid to get locked into something.

I want to go into a bank to speak to somebody face to face.

And it's been a struggle for the village

to keep its local post office open.

Postmistress Jo Williams believes that if the bank goes,

it could further jeopardise its future.

It's going to be detrimental to every business, including ours.

They're going to go to the next big town so one thing,

then they'll do two things, etc.

Over time, you do less and less within the village,

it's not a good thing.

Nationally the post office works with many high street banks,

to provide a number of essential services on the bank's behalf.

But HSBC, so far, have refused to get on board with this scheme.

But it's not just HSBC that are closing local banks.

Rhayader is 60 miles south.

Friday morning, 14th January, 2011.

Barclays decided to pack up and leave this rural community,

leaving many customers devastated.

Local residents didn't let them go quietly though,

and took to the streets to protest against the proposed closure.

We are handing over a petition with over 1,000 names on it

objecting to the closure.

Sadly their efforts were in vain,

and the bank shut its doors anyway.

All Barclays would say was that the bank was not a viable concern.

Here though, like in many other communities across the country,

local customers would like to know at least why they are being left bank-less?

Here's a message to the decision-makers in EC4,

from Disgusted of LD6.

ALL: Come on banks, don't leave us out in the cold.

When we approached HSBC, they gave us the following statement.

Oh, yeah! Tell that to them!

But it's not all bad news for the people of mid-Wales,

because here is a crumb of comfort from HSBC.

They say, "We are committed to leaving an ATM machine in Llanrhaeadr,

subject, of course, to planning consent.

Time for another example from the Postcode Lottery list of fame and shame.

The number of car thefts recorded in an area can have a huge impact

on your insurance premiums.

It's one of the key indicators that insurers use when calculating

how much car insurance you pay.

So, what's the level of grand theft auto around your postcode?

According to a recent survey, these are the UK's top six car-theft hotspots.

In with a bang at number six,

it might only have a population of 2,000,

it's ML12, Biggar, in Lanarkshire.

At number five it's the L10 postcode district of North Liverpool.

40 miles east as the car flies and in at number four

it's M9, Blackley, Manchester.

It's handbrake turn for our number three,

as we swing back west to CH64, Neston in Cheshire.

Screeching in at number two,

it's B94, Solihull, West Midlands.

But stopping all traffic and the number one postcode

for the highest incident of car theft...

it's AB34, the tiny village of Aboyne in Aberdeenshire.

Who'd have thought it?

If there's one thing for certain in life, it's that we've all asked this question.

HE SNIFFS

Has someone stood in something unmentionable?

We're off to Liverpool now to discover the truth behind the postcode lottery

of canine excrement,

and see how Liverpudlians might actually be the winners in this doggy tale.

I think I'll stick that in the bin.

Dogs are known as man's best friend. They're great companions, they're considered part of the family

and they can even pick you up when you're feeling a little bit down.

But they're not everyone's best friend, and this is why.

There are an estimated eight million dogs in the UK,

producing an unbelievable 1,000 tonnes of, ahem, dog mess

every single day.

It's no wonder this is a source of a great annoyance for people everywhere.

I've seen a few people take the dogs for a walk and they haven't got the pooh dog-bags with them

and they just leave them.

If you own a dog you should look after it, and that includes cleaning up after it.

I think they're selfish. They should go round with bags and pick it up.

I mean, it's obvious.

They should get fined, definitely. I thought they did do fines.

They're not very strict on it, though, are they?

And thereby hangs the tale.

You dog-owners can receive an on-the-spot fine of £75 for not scooping the poop.

But research has uncovered massive variations in poop punishments across the land.

Derby's only issuing three tickets in a year and Exeter is issuing absolutely none at all.

One council, though, issued more fines for dog fouling than anywhere else and that place was Liverpool,

with some 590 fixed-penalty notices handed out.

You may ask whether dogs in Exeter are just very well-behaved or have Liverpool stolen the march

in the fight against incontinent canines with their zero-tolerance policy?

We've come to Liverpool to find out.

Meet Dean and Gemma, part of Liverpool's dog warden team,

out to locate dog-mess hotspots around Merseyside.

Yeah, we've got some dog foul outside 24, 26 Grosvenor Road.

Yeah, just as soon as poss, please, mate. Cheers, over.

We have caught residents letting their dogs foul in the area.

But as a warden service, we've got no powers, so our next step is to educate them

and what we do is tell them there's the implication of a fine

and then obviously we get their address and pass on doggy-bags if necessary.

Michael Bowles, of Riverside Housing is the brain behind this scheme,

which is becoming an example to other councils across the country

and he's got the awards to prove it.

When we set the team up we were called the Clean Team

and we rebranded in 2009-10 to the Your Place Team.

Part of the rebrand was talking to local residents and finding out what their problems were.

The main problem was dog fouling.

But Dean and Gemma are only part of the team

because when you've got a really bad poop problem, who you going to call?

Pooh-busters, of course!

With their high-tech vacuum packs, they locate and remove all the doody they can.

It was a machine that we come across through Keep Britain Tidy,

and for me it was a no-brainer for us to purchase these machines

as it would make such a difference and it keeps the staff happy.

Carl and Kevin are a crack team of cleaners who not only remove the mess from the pavements,

they also leave their own special calling-card for guilty dog-owners to see.

That team actually do a great job

and the machine they brought out, I wish they had them everywhere.

Each road could do with one of their own and that would solve the problem overnight.

It's refreshing to see cos quite often I've been doing it myself

and there's other things I could be doing with that time.

And a final word of advice from the Pooh-busters?

Just pick it up and help us to stop breaking our back doing this work.

It's a heavy bit of equipment, this, for us, you know.

Because of its success, Liverpool Council tell us

that other councils are now looking at their methods.

I've got to be honest. I'd like to secretly put one of those machines on reverse blow!

Actually, no, that was really childish. Can we cut that out, guys?

That's all we have time for today,

but there are plenty more scandals out there and some are quite literally potty!

And on tomorrow's programme...

'Why should it make a difference where you live in the country'

as to what treatments you're allowed to have?

..we reveal the lottery of healthcare that has driven some postcode lottery losers

to the edge of despair.

I said to my family, "I just don't want to be here any more.

"I would like you, please, to book a flight and I want to go to Dignitas."

We'll be digging in with the guerilla gardeners fighting an allotment postcode lottery...

People have got tired of waiting.

We've started cultivating just out of desperation.

..and we visit the town with no traffic wardens, to ask,

is this a ticket heaven or hell?

Stay lucky in the postcode lottery! And if you keep watching,

you'll definitely improve your chances of winning.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd