0:00:02 > 0:00:04Did you know that where you live dictates what you get?
0:00:04 > 0:00:08Even one side of the street can be completely different to another
0:00:08 > 0:00:12because every part of our lives is affected by a line on a map
0:00:12 > 0:00:14and a few letters and numbers.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16Well, I'm here to get you a better deal
0:00:16 > 0:00:21and to reveal what is really going on in the postcode lottery.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23And in this programme...
0:00:23 > 0:00:26Why should it make a difference where you live in the country
0:00:26 > 0:00:29as to what treatments you're allowed to have?
0:00:29 > 0:00:32..we reveal the lottery of health care that has driven some of
0:00:32 > 0:00:35the postcode lottery losers to the edge of despair.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37I said to my family,
0:00:37 > 0:00:42"I would like you, please, to book a flight and I want to go to Dignitas."
0:00:42 > 0:00:45We're digging in with the guerrilla gardeners
0:00:45 > 0:00:47fighting an allotment postcode lottery...
0:00:47 > 0:00:49People have got tired of waiting.
0:00:49 > 0:00:55We started cultivating this area just out of desperation.
0:00:55 > 0:01:00..and we visit the town with no traffic wardens to ask
0:01:00 > 0:01:02is this a ticket to heaven or hell?
0:01:02 > 0:01:05Are you going to be a winner in the postcode lottery?
0:01:05 > 0:01:08Well, I'm here to help you get you the right number.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26My loyal and faithful postcode lottery team and I -
0:01:26 > 0:01:27come on, guys, look busy! -
0:01:27 > 0:01:31have been roaming the country to find you the most inexplicable
0:01:31 > 0:01:34and ridiculous decisions taken about our lives,
0:01:34 > 0:01:36based purely on where we live.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41And, today, we'll be going from TA5, which is Bridgwater in Somerset,
0:01:41 > 0:01:45to SY23, Aberystwyth in West Wales.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49But, first, we're heading to BB4 in Rossendale, Lancashire.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54The district borough of Rossendale
0:01:54 > 0:01:57lies in the Irwell Valley in north-west Lancashire.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59and, in its central town of Rawtenstall,
0:01:59 > 0:02:03a group of locals are gathering outside the council offices,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06and they seem to be pretty irate about something.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08I think it's outrageous, quite frankly.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12I just want to stop it because I think it's a right we all have.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14It's almost a postcode lottery for where you live,
0:02:14 > 0:02:17treating one group of residents differently from another group.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20So, what postcode lottery has got them so angry?
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Rubbish, that's what.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26We think it's a basic right for residents to have their bins emptied by the council.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28In fact, it's a statutory duty.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32And I don't want to see it like Manchester with the rats and all the rubbish.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34I want our place clean.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Council tax here.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39There's a certain amount set aside for collection of refuse
0:02:39 > 0:02:41and they should keep to that.
0:02:41 > 0:02:42Bins, eh?
0:02:42 > 0:02:46Nothing gets us so upset as the rubbish we have to put up with
0:02:46 > 0:02:49when it comes to our rubbish collections.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52You see, nationally, we're in a right two and eight.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Each council has to sort out its own rubbish,
0:02:55 > 0:03:00which means our collection services are a postcode lottery.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02To start with, are you a weekly,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05fortnightly or monthly pick-up postcode?
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Do you have one bin, two, three or more?
0:03:08 > 0:03:12If you live in Gloucester, you've got five, Middlesbrough, seven.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15But, if you live in Newcastle-under-Lyme,
0:03:15 > 0:03:17you're expected to sort your rubbish
0:03:17 > 0:03:20into nine - yes, nine! - different bags and boxes,
0:03:20 > 0:03:25and you should award yourselves a bin-crazy postcode lottery prize.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31But let me assure you of one thing.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Whatever bin lottery you live in,
0:03:33 > 0:03:37you've got it easy compared with our Rossendale residents because,
0:03:37 > 0:03:39no matter how much rubbish you've got,
0:03:39 > 0:03:41and no matter how often it's picked up,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44at least you've got a refuse collection service.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46In Rossendale, the local council
0:03:46 > 0:03:48have abolished all rubbish collections
0:03:48 > 0:03:51from hundreds of rural households.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54And it's such a postcode lottery that your neighbour,
0:03:54 > 0:03:58200 yards down the lane, might be getting their bins collected
0:03:58 > 0:04:03whilst you're expected to move your refuse yourself.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08One victim of this rubbish postcode lottery is Liz Patmore.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13I think it was sort of disappointment, really, anger.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17In order to save money, the council has decommissioned the only
0:04:17 > 0:04:22two dump trucks small enough to get up Rossendale's country lanes,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25forcing council tax-paying locals, like Liz, to load up
0:04:25 > 0:04:30their rubbish and drive it to one of 100 local collection points.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32Well, it's very annoying, really.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36It's one less benefit that we have from paying our council tax.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39We aren't exactly an outlying place
0:04:39 > 0:04:42because they're collected from 100 yards away from us.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45They just couldn't come this little bit further.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48It's a nightmare in the morning for children going to school
0:04:48 > 0:04:51cos they've got to walk in the road to get around all the bags.
0:04:51 > 0:04:57Bags that are left out at night, foxes are going into them.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59It would be nice to see all these councillors get
0:04:59 > 0:05:02out of their pretty little cars and come and collect all our waste,
0:05:02 > 0:05:05put it in their cars and see how they like
0:05:05 > 0:05:08the smell of rotting food and vegetation,
0:05:08 > 0:05:09when everything leaks out
0:05:09 > 0:05:13and they've got to start washing the backs of their cars out.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15Just see how they like it.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17I'm sure they wouldn't!
0:05:17 > 0:05:20But Liz and the rest of the Rossendale residents
0:05:20 > 0:05:24weren't prepared to be dumped on without a fight.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27They formed a pressure group to try and get the council to reverse
0:05:27 > 0:05:31their decision as group leader Lesley Ham explains.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34I just cannot understand how anybody would want to make
0:05:34 > 0:05:37a community dump rubbish on the streets.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41Initially, Rossendale wouldn't tell us where all the collection points were.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44Each individual outlying property knew where their own was but,
0:05:44 > 0:05:48to get an overview, I personally did a Freedom of Information request
0:05:48 > 0:05:51and I've just received one in the last couple of weeks.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55The response, if you look at the little yellow circles
0:05:55 > 0:05:58that are on this map, they are all the collection points.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Where is clean, green Rossendale in this?
0:06:01 > 0:06:05What was the administration hoping to do in terms of tourism,
0:06:05 > 0:06:10in terms of a living, working environment for its residents,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13by dumping rubbish bags on every one of the main roads?
0:06:13 > 0:06:17It was a postcode lottery because Rossendale made this decision,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20even though we're part of Lancashire.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24Nowhere else in Lancashire is doing the same thing
0:06:24 > 0:06:28but we were going to be affected by a very foolish decision.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32So Lesley decided to do something about it.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Two or three of us met and we decided that we would fund
0:06:35 > 0:06:39a public meeting ourselves and that's what we did.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42It was attended by just over a hundred residents
0:06:42 > 0:06:44and the response was dramatic.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47We had the petition that went from conception
0:06:47 > 0:06:51to 1,900 signatures in about three weeks.
0:06:51 > 0:06:56We hope that we've got a reversal of the decision tonight.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00After three months of campaigning, our irate group of locals
0:07:00 > 0:07:03have been invited to a meeting with the council.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05They're hoping to persuade Rossendale officials
0:07:05 > 0:07:08to trash their bin policy.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11It just was a bad decision and, hopefully, this evening,
0:07:11 > 0:07:13common sense will prevail.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15If the decision doesn't get reversed,
0:07:15 > 0:07:19then we're back on the campaign trail, 120%.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23But will people power and common sense prevail?
0:07:23 > 0:07:27A mere 70 minutes later, the verdict was given.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29- We're all happy.- We're all happy now! - We're all happy.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32We're going to get our bin collections back.
0:07:32 > 0:07:33It's all been reverted.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Everything's back to normal again now.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38We've got a unanimous decision to reverse
0:07:38 > 0:07:41and I'm just happy to see the people from the valley,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44the people from the outlying properties have come together in this.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46This has been a people's action.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49It means the community have been heard and,
0:07:49 > 0:07:52if you want a big society, well, come to Rossendale
0:07:52 > 0:07:55because we actually made it work for us.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59Power to the people. It's brilliant! Brilliant outcome.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01Absolutely fantastic.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03Power to the people, indeed!
0:08:03 > 0:08:06The residents of Rossendale have just shown us how to stand up
0:08:06 > 0:08:08and fight this rubbish postcode lottery.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10But it doesn't end there.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Later in the programme, we're going to bring you
0:08:13 > 0:08:15yet another wasteful postcode lottery story.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25Mention the words postcode lottery and most of us
0:08:25 > 0:08:29would automatically think of the NHS because we've all heard stories
0:08:29 > 0:08:32about how somebody is being denied the drugs they need, whilst a
0:08:32 > 0:08:36neighbour just down the road with a different postcode would get them.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40But our next story is slightly different because it's about
0:08:40 > 0:08:43somebody who was getting the drugs they needed and then,
0:08:43 > 0:08:47all of a sudden, due to the postcode lottery, they were snatched away.
0:08:47 > 0:08:53Welcome to Salford, Lancashire, where Sue and Brendan Costello
0:08:53 > 0:08:57are living with the consequences of a prescriptions postcode lottery.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03We got married on the 5th of July and, during that week,
0:09:03 > 0:09:07I went in to have my lumbar puncture done, as part of my honeymoon,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09to always remember it!
0:09:09 > 0:09:10It wasn't nice.
0:09:10 > 0:09:1419th of August, I went for the results, just basically expecting
0:09:14 > 0:09:18them to say I had a trapped nerve in my leg or something, and he didn't.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21He sat there and told me I had MS.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25I just burst out crying because that,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28to me, was like the icing on the cake,
0:09:28 > 0:09:32that was somebody telling me it was quite bad.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Then I went back to work.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38Before she had MS, her personality was virtually the same
0:09:38 > 0:09:42but her actual quality of life was completely different.
0:09:42 > 0:09:43She was a keen walker.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47We used to go to the Lake District a lot, go on some great walks.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51She used to go shopping with her sister every weekend.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55Sue has been living with her MS, multiple sclerosis,
0:09:55 > 0:09:56for almost 10 years.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00It's a degenerative disease which prevents the nerve cells
0:10:00 > 0:10:04in the brain from sending clear commands to the spinal cord.
0:10:04 > 0:10:09Its causes are unknown but its symptoms get progressively worse.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13I can't do all the things I used to be able to do
0:10:13 > 0:10:14which is very frustrating.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16I drag my leg about,
0:10:16 > 0:10:19I can't walk properly without having to steady myself.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23My foot is just like a lump of dead meat.
0:10:23 > 0:10:24I can't move that at all
0:10:24 > 0:10:29and I have to wear like a shin pad to help me support my leg.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31It's reduced the quality of life
0:10:31 > 0:10:34because now all I seem to do is go to work every day.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38I'm shattered when I come home, sit down.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41My husband has to do everything for me.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44I don't have any time for the little one.
0:10:44 > 0:10:49We don't go out or do anything because I've got no energy,
0:10:49 > 0:10:52because all my energy's reserved for going in to work.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54So it's a vicious circle.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59What made things worse for Sue was that,
0:10:59 > 0:11:03like a number of other sufferers, none of the licensed drugs
0:11:03 > 0:11:06currently prescribed for MS eased her symptoms.
0:11:06 > 0:11:11Then, almost four years ago, Sue was offered an unexpected lifeline
0:11:11 > 0:11:14when she heard of a new wonder drug called Sativex.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Sativex is a drug made from cannabis.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21It is legal because all of the elements that would naturally
0:11:21 > 0:11:23cause a cannabis high are removed first and it works
0:11:23 > 0:11:27because the active ingredients that are left radically reduce
0:11:27 > 0:11:31the pain in the inflamed nerve endings of MS sufferers.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Professor John Zajicek is an MS consultant
0:11:34 > 0:11:37at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth
0:11:37 > 0:11:39and a strong advocate of Sativex.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43We have a lot of experience of seeing people that have been exposed
0:11:43 > 0:11:47to cannabis-type drugs and Sativex is as much a cannabis-type drug
0:11:47 > 0:11:50as any of the others that we've been working on.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54And you get the same benefits from the patient perspective.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57They have reduced spasms in their legs.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00They have less stiffness, we call spasticity.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02They have less pain.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05It may help their waterworks and it can help other symptoms as well.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08The longer they go on it, sometimes their symptoms gradually improve,
0:12:08 > 0:12:12so much so that we're testing whether some of these drugs
0:12:12 > 0:12:15actually might alter the progression of multiple sclerosis.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18So keen was Sue to try Sativex,
0:12:18 > 0:12:22she immediately signed up as a guinea pig for medical trials.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26The first thing I noticed, having taken Sativex about
0:12:26 > 0:12:31ten minutes later, I actually got pins and needles in my foot,
0:12:31 > 0:12:34which was absolutely remarkable
0:12:34 > 0:12:36and I can remember sitting there shouting for my husband,
0:12:36 > 0:12:40shouting, "Brendan, Brendan, I've got pins and needles in my foot!"
0:12:40 > 0:12:44She got so enthusiastic about things that she couldn't do
0:12:44 > 0:12:48physically that she was seeing starting to happen again.
0:12:48 > 0:12:49When I'd come home from work,
0:12:49 > 0:12:53I wasn't as shattered and I'd be able to come home from work
0:12:53 > 0:12:56and spend a bit of time, either with my little boy or with my husband,
0:12:56 > 0:13:02or we'd go out or whatever, instead of being constantly worn out.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08It just made such a massive difference.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10The medical trials were successful
0:13:10 > 0:13:14and Sativex was given a licence to be prescribed across the UK.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Sue was thrilled.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22The day the drug became licensed, I wrote to my consultant
0:13:22 > 0:13:25and asked him if I could now have this drug.
0:13:25 > 0:13:31He wrote to my GP and said he recommends that, in my case,
0:13:31 > 0:13:35Sativex would be beneficial in improving my symptoms and he would
0:13:35 > 0:13:41appreciate it if the GP could prescribe it for me within the NHS.
0:13:41 > 0:13:46But when the reply came from her local NHS primary care trust,
0:13:46 > 0:13:50it exposed the cruellest of postcode lotteries.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54Unfortunately, because my GP is in Salford,
0:13:54 > 0:14:00Salford PCT won't support the funding of that drug, so I couldn't have it.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07Having put her own health at risk and, having benefited others
0:14:07 > 0:14:10by volunteering for medical trials,
0:14:10 > 0:14:14Sue is now being denied Sativex, solely because of her postcode.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19Sativex is a government-approved drug.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23However, it is down to the primary care trust in every area to
0:14:23 > 0:14:25decide if they wish to fund it.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27At a cost of around £5 per day,
0:14:27 > 0:14:31it compares unfavourably with other, cheaper MS drugs.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35It might be the only medication that has given Sue relief from
0:14:35 > 0:14:39her disease but, purely because of the postcode lottery,
0:14:39 > 0:14:41she is currently being denied it.
0:14:41 > 0:14:46It's one of the cruellest things I've ever seen put upon anybody.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48How many do you want on your bread?
0:14:50 > 0:14:51Just two, please.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55It's reduced the quality of life
0:14:55 > 0:14:59because my husband has to do everything for me.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02I think it's very unfair. What is the difference?
0:15:02 > 0:15:06Why should it make a difference where you live in the country
0:15:06 > 0:15:09as to what treatments you're allowed to have?
0:15:09 > 0:15:14But the health service postcode lottery means that it does.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17And, as with every lottery, there are winners as well as losers.
0:15:17 > 0:15:22A number of the primary care trusts do fund Sativex.
0:15:22 > 0:15:27And, when the truck was licensed in 2010, Dr Zajicek was able to
0:15:27 > 0:15:30prescribe it for some of his patients at his Plymouth PCT.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36MS sufferer Susan Bence was profoundly grateful.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Until Dr Zajicek prescribed her Sativex,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42she was seriously considering ending her life.
0:15:42 > 0:15:47I was actually that bad and didn't know what to do with myself
0:15:47 > 0:15:52that I had got to a stage where I said to my family,
0:15:52 > 0:15:56"I just don't want to be here any more. I would like you, please,
0:15:56 > 0:15:59"to book a flight and I want to go to Dignitas."
0:15:59 > 0:16:02As a family, we just couldn't believe what she was saying,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05and we just couldn't accept it.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09We just would not accept it and tried to find different ways
0:16:09 > 0:16:13of getting around this problem that she'd now given us.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20They were appalled. Overwhelmed.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22Couldn't believe it. Devastated.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24Like I was.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29Thankfully for Susan and her family,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33Dr Zajicek was able to prescribe Sativex to her in October 2010.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37The effects of the drug on Susan's condition
0:16:37 > 0:16:39were immediate and profound.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45Since now taking this drug Sativex, the quality of my life is
0:16:45 > 0:16:50so much better, not only for me but for my husband and family as well.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55I obviously have a better sleep pattern,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58more restful, less spasticity,
0:16:58 > 0:17:04and also my muscles are of a much better density now.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07I can move around a lot better.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11It's unbelievable. It changed our lives completely.
0:17:11 > 0:17:12There was a time before she had Sativex
0:17:12 > 0:17:16that sleeping with my wife was a nightmare.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19It was like me sleeping on the edge of a cliff because every time
0:17:19 > 0:17:23I used to turn over in the bed, it used to set all her pathic pains off
0:17:23 > 0:17:27in her legs and she'd be screaming and crying all night.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31So Sativex has settled all her pains down completely.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34She more or less goes through the night and so do I.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38But, for any MS sufferers thinking Plymouth PCT
0:17:38 > 0:17:42is a beacon of hope in the fog of the postcode lottery,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45Dr Zajicek has some unpleasant news for you.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49The local commissioners decided that they would not commission
0:17:49 > 0:17:53this drug and I've been told to stop prescribing it.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57So I'm not allowed to write any new prescriptions for the drugs.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00People that are already on it are able to receive their drugs
0:18:00 > 0:18:03but I can't write any new prescriptions.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06It's incredibly frustrating, not being able to help people
0:18:06 > 0:18:08when there are drugs that may help them.
0:18:08 > 0:18:13And it's not as though we're asking for huge quantities of money
0:18:13 > 0:18:14or huge numbers of people here.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16The numbers of people are very small.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20Back in Salford, for Sue and her family,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23the agony and the anger remain unresolved.
0:18:23 > 0:18:24Faceless bureaucrats.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27They can so comfortably sit behind their desk,
0:18:27 > 0:18:29they so comfortably go to meetings,
0:18:29 > 0:18:33they so comfortably make decisions about other peoples lives
0:18:33 > 0:18:36without ever, ever having experienced such things.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38To me, it's just sheer hypocrisy
0:18:38 > 0:18:41because if it was something happening to them,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43they'd be the first who'd be banging on the drum about
0:18:43 > 0:18:45how they should be able to have it.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51If I could get hold of one of the people from the PCT,
0:18:51 > 0:18:56I would say to them, "You want to try living with this condition."
0:18:56 > 0:19:03One of my local hospitals has just been granted to prescribe Sativex to
0:19:03 > 0:19:07some patients who are terminally ill and I think, "Is that I've got to do?
0:19:07 > 0:19:11"I've got to be ready for dying before I can have the medication
0:19:11 > 0:19:12"that makes me better?"
0:19:12 > 0:19:14It just seems so unfair.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20When the Postcode Lottery team contacted NHS Salford,
0:19:20 > 0:19:22they gave us the following statement.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58Every day this week, we're going to bring you a bite-sized list
0:19:58 > 0:20:00of Postcode Lottery fame and shame.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03You know, winners and losers.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07And the choice of subjects is so wide, you wouldn't Adam and Eve it.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12Petrol prices.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15They cause more complaints than virtually anything else,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18and the price per litre varies from town to town
0:20:18 > 0:20:22and even from forecourt to forecourt.
0:20:22 > 0:20:27But you could also be a winner in this lottery, saving yourself as much as £200 a year.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30For example, recent research showed that in Weston-super-Mare,
0:20:30 > 0:20:33the price varied by 9p between two garages
0:20:33 > 0:20:35that were only a few minutes apart,
0:20:35 > 0:20:39and they also discovered that people could save nearly 11p per litre
0:20:39 > 0:20:43just by popping over the border between Cornwall and Devon.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47But the biggest variation of all was in North Wales,
0:20:47 > 0:20:51where two garages in Wrexham, just five miles apart,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54had a massive difference of 14p per litre.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56That could save you nearly £10
0:20:56 > 0:20:59every time you filled up an average family saloon.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03Now, to make the postcode lottery work for you, shop around,
0:21:03 > 0:21:08but make sure you don't spend more on petrol than you save!
0:21:12 > 0:21:17These days, a lot of people are trying to eat more healthy, and save
0:21:17 > 0:21:21a few quid at the same time, which means they're turning to allotments.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25You know, those council-owned plots of land where your grandad
0:21:25 > 0:21:29used to hide away from your Nan at weekends, sitting in his shed,
0:21:29 > 0:21:31reading Fly Fishing by JR Hartley.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34But demand has outstripped supply, which means if you want one,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37it's now a postcode lottery.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41Under the 1908 Small Holdings and Allotments Act,
0:21:41 > 0:21:45every UK council is legally obliged to provide a sufficient number
0:21:45 > 0:21:49of allotments for persons residing in its area who want one.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51What that means in proper speak is that if you
0:21:51 > 0:21:53ask your counsel for an allotment,
0:21:53 > 0:21:55they're legally obliged to give you one,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58or at least put you on your waiting list,
0:21:58 > 0:22:00which is all well and good if you live in
0:22:00 > 0:22:02the Midlands, Nottingham or North Shropshire,
0:22:02 > 0:22:06where the average waiting time for an allotment is a mere five months.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09However, if you live in Camden, north London, get to the back of a
0:22:09 > 0:22:14very long queue because the average waiting time there is 40 years.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18But what if you believe that your council are not fulfilling their obligations?
0:22:18 > 0:22:22What if your counsel got rid of your local allotments,
0:22:22 > 0:22:26promised to replace them and, a full 15 years later,
0:22:26 > 0:22:28have still not delivered on those promises?
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Would you take matters into your own hands?
0:22:34 > 0:22:37This is Ashton-under-Lyne, a small suburb of Manchester,
0:22:37 > 0:22:42where the mighty roar of the M60 motorway echoes across
0:22:42 > 0:22:46raiding wastelands of rushes, ragwort and cabbages.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50Some might even say illegal cabbages
0:22:50 > 0:22:55because they've been grown by a crack team of guerrilla gardeners,
0:22:55 > 0:22:58calling themselves Ashton Allotment Action.
0:23:00 > 0:23:06On St George's Day 2011, after eight years of false dawns
0:23:06 > 0:23:10and broken promises, Ashton Allotment Action decided
0:23:10 > 0:23:13to invade a patch of land that they claim the council had
0:23:13 > 0:23:17promised would become a brand-new allotment site.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20When the motorway came through,
0:23:20 > 0:23:26the council decided to development on all of the existing allotments.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31They promised us in return an alternative allotment site.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35This is the alternative allotment site
0:23:35 > 0:23:39and it's still lying here unused, neglected.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43And the reason why it's neglected is because, at the same time they set
0:23:43 > 0:23:47it aside for the new allotments, the council handed the land over to a
0:23:47 > 0:23:50development company and they've been in dispute over its use ever since.
0:23:50 > 0:23:5415 years on, it's a no-man's-land of bracken and weeds, and the only
0:23:54 > 0:23:59thing growing in Ashton-under-Lyne is the allotment waiting list.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02There's over 370 people on the waiting list
0:24:02 > 0:24:08for allotments in Ashton alone and we have no allotments in Ashton.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11And so, after 15 years of frustration,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14the garden guerrillas finally took up their tools,
0:24:14 > 0:24:18claimed squatters' rights and began to dig in.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20The land was very overgrown.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23We've had to clear all of that weed growth
0:24:23 > 0:24:27before we could start to cultivate it.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30We're growing everything that most people want to eat.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Broccoli and red cabbage.
0:24:32 > 0:24:33Onions.
0:24:33 > 0:24:34Jerusalem artichokes.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36Parsnips.
0:24:36 > 0:24:37Blackcurrants.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39Lots of potatoes.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41And some apple as well.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45You can grow lovely food and it's all growing all round us here.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47It's ideal.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49It's just that it should have been handed over to us
0:24:49 > 0:24:55over seven years ago, before it became overgrown and neglected!
0:24:55 > 0:24:58But while the fruit and veg are thriving...
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Mm, they're lovely!
0:25:00 > 0:25:03..the guerrilla gardeners are on stony ground.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07As squatters, they can be served an eviction notice any day.
0:25:07 > 0:25:12Still, with over 150 active members, the Ashton Allotment Action group
0:25:12 > 0:25:16are determined to make hay while the sun shines.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19I just come up here once or twice a week,
0:25:19 > 0:25:21pitch the tent, just in case it rains.
0:25:21 > 0:25:22Very rare.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30No rumpy-pumpy in the tent!
0:25:30 > 0:25:33But there's a silver lining to the guerrillas' cloud
0:25:33 > 0:25:35and he's called Dave Morris.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39Dave is from the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardens,
0:25:39 > 0:25:41which was set up to preserve and
0:25:41 > 0:25:45protect allotments for future generations to enjoy.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48He's been supporting the group throughout their campaign.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50How are things going then, Nigel?
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Well, as you can see, we're still active here.
0:25:53 > 0:25:58We've cleared what is probably a standard allotment,
0:25:58 > 0:26:02250 square metres approximately.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05Ashton's an area with what, 40,000 people?
0:26:05 > 0:26:08And not a single allotment in it.
0:26:08 > 0:26:13The ratio you'd normally find of allotments, you'd expect over 100.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16The law on allotments basically says
0:26:16 > 0:26:20that where a council or local authority parish
0:26:20 > 0:26:23is aware that there is a demand for allotments,
0:26:23 > 0:26:27they should provide sufficient allotments to meet the need.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31It's not the strongest-worded law unfortunately.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35It doesn't lay down such as a timescale,
0:26:35 > 0:26:38that they must provide them within six months, a year, whatever,
0:26:38 > 0:26:42and that is the get-out clause that councils use.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46I don't know whether it'll be another eight years
0:26:46 > 0:26:47but we'll still be here.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51We're going to eventually have all of this site under cultivation.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55It will take some while because we're doing it by hand.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57It's quite hard work.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01We'll go back every month for updates from the council
0:27:01 > 0:27:05but we don't hold out much hope with them.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08In the meantime, Nigel and his fellow guerrillas are determined
0:27:08 > 0:27:12to show the council that they are prepared to dig for victory,
0:27:12 > 0:27:14to overturn this postcode lottery.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16Will you help me?
0:27:16 > 0:27:20We've got some nice potatoes there, haven't we?
0:27:20 > 0:27:24We're going to dig up a sample of this year's produce
0:27:24 > 0:27:27and we're going to present it to Tameside council
0:27:27 > 0:27:31so that they can see what the potential is for the land here.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42We'd like to present these vegetables as a token to
0:27:42 > 0:27:47Tameside Council and hopefully you could perhaps present that
0:27:47 > 0:27:49to them at the council meeting tomorrow.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51< Yeah, yeah, yeah. Lovely.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53Right, thank you very much.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56I've now passed on the vegetables.
0:27:56 > 0:28:01They'll be presented to the council tomorrow at a council meeting.
0:28:01 > 0:28:06While Nigel's veg box diplomacy aims to win over the council
0:28:06 > 0:28:09through their stomach, Dave continues to be frustrated
0:28:09 > 0:28:11by the development company
0:28:11 > 0:28:13and the council's inability to use their heads
0:28:13 > 0:28:16and just sit down and sort it out.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18They were promised allotments here.
0:28:18 > 0:28:23I've got maps which show it as allotments but the council are
0:28:23 > 0:28:28saying they're still in negotiations with the developer about this.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32I've been calling for a meeting with developers and council
0:28:32 > 0:28:35to try and get them round a table for some months now,
0:28:35 > 0:28:38with little or no success, quite frankly.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41And so, a full 15 years after the first promises were made,
0:28:41 > 0:28:45we have finally received the following separate statements,
0:28:45 > 0:28:49from Stayley Developments Ltd and Tameside borough council.
0:28:49 > 0:28:50Tameside council said:
0:29:08 > 0:29:11And, about the Ashton Moss allotments, they said:
0:29:31 > 0:29:33Stayley Development's response was:
0:29:50 > 0:29:53Hey, guys, here's a bit of a radical suggestion for you.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56Why don't you go and lock yourselves in a room, and don't come out
0:29:56 > 0:29:59until you've sorted it out, once and for all?
0:30:05 > 0:30:08Just like beautiful women with ugly footballers,
0:30:08 > 0:30:11what goes hand-in-hand with double yellow lines?
0:30:11 > 0:30:14Travel wardens, of course, and there are 23,000 of them
0:30:14 > 0:30:18on our street, raking in a combined £400 million a year.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21But, alongside politicians and bankers,
0:30:21 > 0:30:24they're the most unpopular people in Britain.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29Each year, throughout the UK over 4 million of us
0:30:29 > 0:30:33are issued with a parking ticket and, when it comes to fines,
0:30:33 > 0:30:37Westminster Council in London are a tough act to follow.
0:30:37 > 0:30:42Last year, they issued almost half a million tickets and earned £32 million.
0:30:42 > 0:30:46But, wherever you go, there's no escaping the parking police.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50Or so you might think.
0:30:50 > 0:30:54Welcome to Aberystwyth on the West Wales coast,
0:30:54 > 0:30:56a pretty seaside town where,
0:30:56 > 0:31:00thanks to the council's decision to abolish all of the traffic wardens,
0:31:00 > 0:31:03some locals think they've won the postcode lottery.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05As it stands at present,
0:31:05 > 0:31:08I would say that there isn't actually any traffic wardens.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11Well, I'm sorry if they've lost their job but,
0:31:11 > 0:31:15as far as I'm concerned, I'm quite happy as things are,
0:31:15 > 0:31:19because people in general, they park wisely.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23You can have your car there for half a day and you don't get a ticket after two hours,
0:31:23 > 0:31:24so you don't have to move the car.
0:31:24 > 0:31:26So, whose brilliant idea was this?
0:31:26 > 0:31:28In June last year,
0:31:28 > 0:31:33Aberystwyth's three traffic wardens were laid off when the local police
0:31:33 > 0:31:36handed over control of parking enforcement to the local council.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40The police claim they gave the council two years' notice
0:31:40 > 0:31:43and had no budget to pay the wardens' wages.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46The local council also claimed they had no budget left either.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50The end result is a free ticket to a parking postcode lottery.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54To begin with, Dan Wells, who runs the local hardware store,
0:31:54 > 0:31:55was rather pleased.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58Initially, everyone thought, "Yes! The traffic wardens have gone,"
0:31:58 > 0:32:00and they could park wherever they liked.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03I thought it was brilliant but it turns out it's a nightmare.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05And he's not alone.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08I think it's absolutely ridiculous, the parking in town.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10I had to drag a child out of the way
0:32:10 > 0:32:14because a van was parking up on a pavement and reversing.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18People park in disabled places without any badges.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21It's in every driver's nature, if they see a parking space,
0:32:21 > 0:32:24they'll take it and they'll leave their car there all day.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28Quite often, we're been phoned by delivery companies saying
0:32:28 > 0:32:32they can't deliver to us because they can't access the roads nearby.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35As you can see here, there's a car parked on this corner illegally
0:32:35 > 0:32:41and it's causing a lot of bother for any large vehicles trying to turn round the corner.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44And you can imagine the trouble a lorry would have getting down here
0:32:44 > 0:32:47who's carrying a few palettes for us.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49We had a delivery driver turn up with a lorry and,
0:32:49 > 0:32:51as he couldn't turn round the corner,
0:32:51 > 0:32:54he had to park in the middle of the road.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57Someone got quite irate with him, got out of the car,
0:32:57 > 0:33:00it started escalating and they started shouting at each other,
0:33:00 > 0:33:04at which point we did come outside and we called the police.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07But it is causing a lot of people angst and causing
0:33:07 > 0:33:10a lot of tempers to get frayed.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14I've seen queues of traffic forming for ages and ages,
0:33:14 > 0:33:18just because one bus can't get around the corner.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22Since there hasn't been any traffic wardens, it's a job to park
0:33:22 > 0:33:25because everybody's parking everywhere.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27I think, personally, it's disgusting.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29I say bring the traffic wardens back.
0:33:29 > 0:33:33OK, so there's a bit of bad parking and the occasional
0:33:33 > 0:33:36outbreak of anger but surely all this chaos is a small price to pay
0:33:36 > 0:33:41when you compare it to the national parking prices postcode lottery.
0:33:41 > 0:33:46For example, pulling up on a London street will cost you up to £4.40 an hour,
0:33:46 > 0:33:49£3 an hour in central Aberdeen and £2 an hour in Walsall.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51But come to Aberystwyth,
0:33:51 > 0:33:55you can park where you like and it's absolutely free.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57I bet these bikers love it.
0:33:57 > 0:34:02We have here a designated area for us to park but, quite often,
0:34:02 > 0:34:05the entrance just isn't usable.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10We've got the main entrance into the designated bike area
0:34:10 > 0:34:13and we've got a lorry parked practically on top of it,
0:34:13 > 0:34:15making visibility to come in zero and,
0:34:15 > 0:34:18if you were to use this to get out, again, there's danger.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22I didn't see that vehicle come round the back of that until it appeared.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24I had no warning of it whatsoever.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27It's just not acceptable, the way people are behaving in the town.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30Ouch! He's not very happy and neither is this fella.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32Well, now there are no traffic wardens,
0:34:32 > 0:34:34people are just parking everywhere.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36Double yellow lines, as you can see,
0:34:36 > 0:34:40they're parking on pavements, you name it, they're parking there.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43It doesn't seem to be just parking-related issues.
0:34:43 > 0:34:48The general attitude to driving has changed, where people are driving more lawlessly,
0:34:48 > 0:34:51pulling out in front of you, cutting you up, things like that.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55It's bad enough on a motorcycle at the best of times,
0:34:55 > 0:34:57trying to go around a busy town,
0:34:57 > 0:35:01but it's ridiculous when you've got double parking, vehicles moving out.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04It's just compounded any problems that we had.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09My perception of traffic wardens has changed.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12I know part of their duty is to keep traffic moving,
0:35:12 > 0:35:15rather than booking people for traffic offences and,
0:35:15 > 0:35:19as that duty isn't being performed, of course traffic isn't moving,
0:35:19 > 0:35:22and it's just bringing the town to gridlock in peak periods.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26It leaves people who are visiting Aberystwyth for the first time
0:35:26 > 0:35:28with a pretty poor opinion of the town, actually.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32So there we have it.
0:35:32 > 0:35:36In Aberystwyth, the general consensus is that traffic wardens
0:35:36 > 0:35:38are angels and street life without them is hell.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41The good news is that common sense has prevailed
0:35:41 > 0:35:44and the traffic wardens will be back from next summer.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47They may even be fitted with mini cameras to record any abuse
0:35:47 > 0:35:50from irate members of the public.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52You have been warned.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59Earlier in the programme, we went to Rossendale,
0:35:59 > 0:36:03a town where locals were expected to cart their own rubbish around
0:36:03 > 0:36:06until the council saw sense and backed down.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12This time we're heading south to another rubbish postcode lottery
0:36:12 > 0:36:15where the council are trying to charge its green-minded citizens
0:36:15 > 0:36:19for doing their bit for the environment.
0:36:19 > 0:36:23We're going to Bridgwater in Somerset.
0:36:23 > 0:36:27When you get stuck into a bit of spring cleaning or a spot of DIY,
0:36:27 > 0:36:30what do you do with those carloads of unwanted plasterboard,
0:36:30 > 0:36:34cardboard, old furniture, electrical goods, or broken toys?
0:36:34 > 0:36:37Well, you pop down your local recycling centre of course.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40Paid for by our council taxes, they're convenient and free
0:36:40 > 0:36:43to every UK householder, with one exception,
0:36:43 > 0:36:44the residents of Somerset.
0:36:44 > 0:36:49There are 18 community recycling sites across Somerset.
0:36:49 > 0:36:5414 of them are still free to use but, as of 2011,
0:36:54 > 0:36:57four of them charge an entrance fee
0:36:57 > 0:37:01of £2 per vehicle to dispose of your recyclables.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03Many of the local residents think these charges are -
0:37:03 > 0:37:05wait for it - rubbish,
0:37:05 > 0:37:10especially a group of campaigners, the Bridgwater Trades Union.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15The charges for the recycling centres in Somerset were
0:37:15 > 0:37:18brought in on April the 1st of this year, 2011.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21They run contrary to the rest of the country basically,
0:37:21 > 0:37:24and, as this programme is called the Postcode Lottery,
0:37:24 > 0:37:27that's really what we should be talking about now.
0:37:27 > 0:37:28I pay £113 council tax per month
0:37:28 > 0:37:31and I expect to get the same services I would find
0:37:31 > 0:37:34across the border in North Somerset, Devon, Wiltshire or Dorset.
0:37:34 > 0:37:38But we have massive support in the local community as well,
0:37:38 > 0:37:40who are very opposed to the charges.
0:37:40 > 0:37:46Recycling has improved greatly in Somerset over the last few years.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50We've had a very strong record of 80% plus recycling.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53This is just a straightforward backward step.
0:37:55 > 0:37:59A straightforward backward step or a council being canny with the cuts?
0:37:59 > 0:38:03This is Middlezoy, one of the four sites charging the
0:38:03 > 0:38:08£2 a pop tipping tax, and this is Steve Read, managing director
0:38:08 > 0:38:11of Somerset Waste and one of the brains behind the charges.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14Going back a year ago, Somerset county council realised that
0:38:14 > 0:38:17that it had to make quite considerable savings to its budget.
0:38:17 > 0:38:21It started to look at how it might do that and one of the things that we
0:38:21 > 0:38:24reluctantly looked at was closing some of our recycling centres.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28We've got 18 here in Somerset which is a much larger ratio
0:38:28 > 0:38:30than most other places in the country.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33So, with reluctance, we proposed to close four of them,
0:38:33 > 0:38:35including this one here at Middlezoy.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38When we came out and talked to the communities affected, they said,
0:38:38 > 0:38:40"Is there anything we can do instead of closing?"
0:38:40 > 0:38:43They actually came up with the idea of saying,
0:38:43 > 0:38:45"Could you impose a small charge?
0:38:45 > 0:38:48"Would that be enough to keep the centres open?"
0:38:48 > 0:38:51So we went away and looked at the legal situation
0:38:51 > 0:38:53and concluded that that would be possible,
0:38:53 > 0:38:57so charges were introduced here from April last year.
0:38:57 > 0:39:01Fair enough, if the public themselves requested the tariff
0:39:01 > 0:39:05and Somerset Waste agreed, then that's democracy in action.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08But were the people in Somerset really happy about this?
0:39:08 > 0:39:13Initially we had a number of people expressing a great deal of concern.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16That has dropped off in the several months now that we've been
0:39:16 > 0:39:19operating the sites with the charges.
0:39:19 > 0:39:23Most people, when we've explained the reasons for the changes,
0:39:23 > 0:39:26and they've understood that this is actually instead of closing
0:39:26 > 0:39:29the site, obviously they'd prefer not to be charged
0:39:29 > 0:39:32but they'd prefer to keep the site open.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36So, are the anti-tipping tax campaign group really in a minority?
0:39:36 > 0:39:40Our unscientific snap poll on the streets of Bridgwater
0:39:40 > 0:39:44indicates an issue that still divides opinion.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47I don't mind to be honest. Keeps these guys in a job.
0:39:47 > 0:39:51Well, it's a bit outrageous seeing we pay so much council tax.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54I think it'll be counter-productive because people will fly-tip.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56I live a mile away, come here,
0:39:56 > 0:39:58get rid of a van-load of rubbish for two quid.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01It's fine. Otherwise, I've got to drive all the way to Taunton.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04I think it's very irritating because it increases the amount of
0:40:04 > 0:40:08fly-tipping that we're getting in my lane in particular.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10We've seen old sofas and the like,
0:40:10 > 0:40:14just being dumped in the ditches and, clearly, the council are going
0:40:14 > 0:40:18to have to come and clear that away so, to me, that's an added cost.
0:40:18 > 0:40:23Whilst opinions were divided on the streets of Bridgwater, it was the
0:40:23 > 0:40:27perceived increase in fly-tipping that drew the most comments.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30George from the campaign group took us on a ride
0:40:30 > 0:40:33into the countryside to highlight this issue.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36As you can see, it's a very picturesque area, very beautiful,
0:40:36 > 0:40:41but unfortunately, suddenly we find that things are somewhat less than picturesque.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45We have an old door, we have an old office chair,
0:40:45 > 0:40:48lots of commercial/industrial type of waste,
0:40:48 > 0:40:51children's toys and old wood.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55On the other side of the bridge, we have a very similar problem.
0:40:55 > 0:40:59We have tyres, an old jerry can, all stuff that could be recycled
0:40:59 > 0:41:01but people choose instead to dump it.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06George and the campaign group also see a fine irony
0:41:06 > 0:41:08in the introduction of the tipping tax.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11Well, the fly-tipping has increased.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14It's less impactive because there are people going round
0:41:14 > 0:41:16and collecting it a lot more than they used to.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20But, of course, there is no saving because, instead of actually paying
0:41:20 > 0:41:23people to run the site seven days a week, instead they're paying people
0:41:23 > 0:41:25to get out and actually collect it in vans
0:41:25 > 0:41:28and, presumably, take it to the sites themselves.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31We expected to see an increase in fly-tipping because,
0:41:31 > 0:41:33whenever we've made any changes to things like
0:41:33 > 0:41:36opening hours in the past, that has resulted in an increase.
0:41:36 > 0:41:38We hoped that it would drop off.
0:41:38 > 0:41:39It's beginning to do that
0:41:39 > 0:41:41and we do need to keep it in proportion as well.
0:41:41 > 0:41:45The amount of material that's being fly-tipped in the county is
0:41:45 > 0:41:48very, very small, compared to the material now that is no longer
0:41:48 > 0:41:52coming through these sites due to the various changes that have been
0:41:52 > 0:41:54made and the economic situation.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57So the jury's definitely out on this story.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00The council say it's a way of keeping a popular facility open
0:42:00 > 0:42:03without it being a burden on the taxpayer.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07But those who oppose it say it's a double-whammy postcode lottery.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10Not only are the people of Somerset faced with a tipping tax,
0:42:10 > 0:42:12but they also have to put up with the fact
0:42:12 > 0:42:13that fly-tippers avoid it completely.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15What a mess!
0:42:19 > 0:42:23Well, that's all we've got time for but there are plenty more
0:42:23 > 0:42:26scandals out there and some of them are stinkers.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28And, on tomorrow's programme,
0:42:28 > 0:42:32we smell a rat in Reading with a pest control postcode lottery.
0:42:32 > 0:42:37They were on the kid's bed, in our wardrobes, urinating on our clothes.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41We disclose the postcode lottery at the heart of the baby business...
0:42:41 > 0:42:43It's not as if I'm even being greedy.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45Just one child, that's all we want, isn't it?
0:42:45 > 0:42:47That's it. It's not a lot to ask for, is it?
0:42:47 > 0:42:53..and we reveal how you are being targeted in a junk mail postcode plot.
0:42:53 > 0:42:57Stay lucky in the postcode lottery and, if you keep watching,
0:42:57 > 0:43:00you'll definitely improve your chances of winning.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd