Episode 5 Watchdog

Tonight - "Sorry I've blown up your house".

The words of one smart meter installer to a home owner whose

Smart meters have been linked to fires and gas leaks.

So is it time for the roll-out-rush to slow down?

This is Watchdog - Live - and on YOUR side.

Hello - welcome to Watchdog - live from our studio in Salford.

It's Thursday, not Wednesday if you hadn't noticed,

Ready to take on more of the big names letting you down.

As ever - it's your messages that sparked off

all of tonight's investigations, so thanks to everyone

And as well as the big stories coming up -

we've got a great result for someone who was on the programme last week.

One other thing has changed, with the summer

holidays well under way - we've sent Steph to the seaside.

HELLO FROM MORECAMBE, THE SON DESPERATELY TRYING TO BREAK THROUGH,

I AM WITH LOTS OF LOVELY VIEWERS, THESE ARE HOLIDAY-MAKERS WHO HAVE

HAD PROBLEMS WITH TRAVELLING. let's face it, a lot of them are about, we

have exclusive figures revealing the uk airports we are most likely to

have delays and if your flight is late we will ask if a new system

brought in to get your money back is causing more delays.

Also tonight on Rogue Traders -

tree surgeons we've met on the programme before.

Up to their old very dangerous tricks with chainsaws.

Not to mention giving customers - and us - the runaround.

Last week, what we found in the ice at the big fast food chains made

So get ready for what we turned up when we tested

Remember you can get in touch right now about any of our stories.

Or we're on Twitter and Facebook too.

But first tonight - smart meters - dramatic developments in the story

More of you are convinced that the rush to get all those

meters installed by the 2020 target is leading to dangerous mistakes.

Just over three years to go and there are still tens of millions of

smart meters left to install in homes and small businesses across

the UK. It's an ambitious target and a huge challenge. Earlier this

series we reported on concerns within the industry about the

pressure faced by energy companies to meet the 2020 deadline.

Particularly the need to recruit so many new installers, many of whom

have never worked in gas or electricity before. We met customers

who discovered gas leaks and issues with fuse boxes following smart

meter installations. But the reports you sent us since then are even more

alarming. Paul Arnold Lou e-mailed us since seen our first report, a

smart meter was installed at their property by British Gas in December

last year. We went to meet the couple after they told us about a

terrifying fire that started at Jubilee installation itself off

their tenant and young child were in the flat. Lets go and. Let me show

you where it is. That looks awful, and it's the smell as well. It is

horrific, yes. What a nightmare for you. Yes, even though the fire

brigade put it out it looks a mess. Let's have a chat in the garden

because it looks dangerous to go in there. Even out here you can still

smell it. That's right, and you can see the intensity of the heat when

you look at the door. A truly bad, what happened? The smart meters were

being installed but he could not get them to work properly, it caught

light and the fire brigade were called. The fire started in the

kitchen and the whole kitchen is gone. The rest of the flat is mainly

water and smoke damage. It has to be totally gutted. Gas ignited and

caused a fire in the kitchen whilst tenants and the British gas

installer were still in the house. Paul immediately rushed to the flat

and it quickly became clear what the cause seems to be. Both me and the

fire officer were standing there when the gas operative turned around

and said sorry, I have blown up your house. They all had a very lucky

escape but the flat sustained over ?90,000 worth of damage. What kind

of impact has this had? Devastating. You sit there and think, where do

you start? The tenant, she has lost everything and everyone else in the

block were affected for weeks. Seven months later we are still in the

same position. And worryingly we have been hearing from other people

who believe fires in their homes are linked to smart meter installation

but when reports from the Fire Service do not specifically blame

the installation of the metre this can cause problems. Wallowing these

incidents some customers not only have to deal with the prospect of

months out of their home, they could also face a battle to convince their

energy provider to accept responsibility for the damage. This

woman loved her bungalow in rural North Wales but for the last three

months she and her partner had been living in a caravan after a fire

destroyed their home. I went outside to get my car keys, I had left them

in my car. Turned around to go back in the house and I saw smoke coming

out through the tiles. Within a minute those flames coming above the

front door. And the next thing the roof went up. There wasn't anything

we could do. We just watched it burn. She immediately called the

Fire Service. Its subsequent report states the fire was caused by faulty

leads to the electricity distribution board. Marina's adamant

the last person to touch the equipment is the installer from Ovo

energy who reconnected it to the new smart meter a few months earlier.

This is where the actual electrical wars, the electric box. This smart

meter was here and this fuse box was on the end. Because the smart meter

was here the actual fire went up into the roof and because the smoke

alarm was on the ceiling it did not set the smoke alarm off. Marina's

landlord has house insurance so can rebuild the property but Marina did

not have insurance for her contents which she has lost. Ovo energy once

done investigation and provided the caravan for her to live in but the

company is denying any responsibility for the buyer and

said it won't pay out any compensation. They are not taking

responsibility and that upset me more than anything. They don't

understand the seriousness of it. Thank God I wasn't in bed. That's

all I kept saying, what if we had gone to bed? We would not have known

because you could not smell the smoke inside the property so we

would have gone to bed oblivious to the fact it was burning. I am making

sure sockets are unplugged and everything is turned off, I was

never like that before. All because of the fire. One of the reasons Ovo

gave per denying responsibility is a six-month period between

installation and the fire so this fair? Nikki took our evidence to the

head of installations at the Institute of technology and an

expert witness gas engineer. In some cases we have seen a problem or a

fire happened months down the line, could that peaceably be caused by

the installation? Yes, what happens is when the smart meter installer

arrives, they will remove the existing meter. When they take of

the existing meter they might need to jiggle the wires to make the

connection and in doing that it can cause the cable to become loose at

the other end in the other connections. When you have a loose

connection it can overheat and overtime as the heat increases the

more the connection deteriorates, gets worse and worse and worse and

eventually gets to the point where it overheats and can cause a fire.

Could that have been the situation here? Evidence has shown from other

installations that it could have happened here. We cannot say

categorically that is what happened but evidence elsewhere has shown

these kind of buyers can develop from overheating terminals. What

other things could have caused the fire? There could have been other

causes but nothing is documented in the paperwork we have seen. What do

you think happened with Paul and Lou? It is controlled combustion

just like an engine in a car so you have to make sure it is safe and the

only way to do that is follow the simple procedures. It is basic,

basic training, make sure there is no leak before you start, do what

you need to do safely and make sure there is no leak when you finish.

How concerned are you about this? Very concerning. When someone comes

into your house to perform a task, in this case replacing a meter, the

last thing you expect is a problem. The last thing you expect is fire.

And there are more in the energy industry who are worried. We showed

our evidence to shadow energy Minister Alan Whitehead. As well as

the evidence watchdog has found I have been hearing reports of

concerns about safety standards in some installers. I think it's time

to pause and look at how those issues can be resolved with real

concerns about safety properly addressed. Given the cases we have

seen, surely the government needs to be taking this seriously?

Undertaking an immediate review into the safety of the smart meter

roll-out. Greg Clark is the Energy Secretary

overseeing this roll out. He doesn't join us now

despite the fact we asked him three times to come on and explain how

we can guarantee the people having smart meters installed can sleep

soundly in their beds. Remember tens of millions of these

things must be fitted using many newly trained installers

to meet that target. His department sent a statement,

saying is the number one priority

for Government, and it's seen no It says engineers undergo extensive

training, and the roll-out is a unique opportunity to improve

safety in peoples' homes by dealing with potential issues around older

meters and connections. Energy UK, which represents

all the energy companies said the same, adding that -

irrespective of any deadline - energy companies will always ensure

installations are carried out As for the specific

companies in our film - British Gas says the fire at Paul

and Lou's flat was down to a rare instance of human error,

explaining that on this occasion its engineer didn't

follow its technical He's since left the business,

it also said its processes for installing smart meters

are industry-leading, with engineers receiving 12 months

of training resulting in a City And Ovo told us its investigations

found no evidence to confirm the smart meter caused Marina's

fire, and the fire reports have come It reiterated that the installation

took place six months prior to the fire, and says records show

it was carried out in line It also says though it offered

to cover the cost of a hotel - Marina preferred to stay

in a caravan on-site. We'd especially like to

hear from installers - And remember - having a smart meter

fitted isn't compulsory - even if you've had a letter that

makes you think it is. Sometimes we get the chance to catch

up with rogues that we've had on the series before,

to find out what's happened to them since we last

saw them in a car park, through a crack in their front

door, or on the steps Whack a mole is a fun game, a number

of moles or in this case sharks in holes. They appear different despite

coming from the same mould, your job as an enforcement authority is to

sanction and limit them with a sponge hammer. But they don't stay

sanctioned, they disappear for a while and then they and their

colleagues who may be family members were all we know pop up again. You

don't see many of these games around any more, maybe that's because it's

exhausting and maybe it's because without a more all-encompassing

approach you can never win. Unfortunately you can't use this

message to stop real actual people like this weeks rogue traders,

greenways tree services. Normally we start stories with the complainant

but on this occasion it started... With a kiss. Well, it didn't, it

started with a flyer one of the rogue trader 's team found lying on

the street. The flyer rang a few bells. Worrying bells. Very worrying

bells indeed. Let's go through a few identifying features. For instance

the colour, the wording, the discounts, it all takes me back to

one of the most disturbing stories we have ever told you on rogue

traders. 2015 Kent and South London, very similar flyer being posted all

over the place. All that the lead was the name at the top, often

stolen from entirely legitimate businesses. But each of these flyers

led to a group of people with the same nasty traits, fleecing the

elderly and leaving the gardens in a state. Back then we met Alison and

her husband who had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. They

contacted us who said they had cut the branches back for ?1250 but 30

minutes into the job they doubled the price and started hacking away

trees in the woods behind their I said, don't do any more, stop. At

that point, the whole conversation changed. They kept pushing up the

bill, including the cost of removing the waist, bringing the cost to

?5,000. The amount is colossal and I am thinking, how will I afford this?

He said, if you cannot pay, there will be trouble. I was a bit like a

jelly. I was just thinking, somebody make this stop, I cannot handle

this, I have got myself into something I cannot deal with. The

men made Alison go to the bank to withdraw the money and when she got

home, they wanted even more. ?9,000, they wanted in the end. For less

than an afternoon's work. After hearing this story, we called them

out to a house of our own, it turns out overcharging was the least of

our worries. We know the man speaking to the actress is called

Peter Varey. And the man playing with himself throughout the sting is

James Doyle, or Jimmy Fiddler, as we like to call him. They were joined

by James calling. Peter Varey distracted our actress while Doyle

and Cunningham rummaged upstairs through valuables. But for every

distraction burglary, there is a silver lining. I did get to meet

Peter Varey and Tinkerbell, briefly. On your marks... They are off. It is

Jimmy Fiddler leading the transformer. They are down the back

straight, over the first war. They are being followed by an old lady.

Someone has fallen, we have got one facedown. But even that doesn't go

all the way back. Spark up the DeLorean. 2009, Shaun Derry. He

charged four times the going rate in the same neck of the woods and

treated those words like they had done him a personal wrong, which

would think it would make him a bad idea to dress as a tree. Yes, very

bad idea. Sean, how are you doing. Rogue Traders. You have a family

with many branches, which is tweaked away to get your many leaflets.

There is a trading standards officer behind me? Hello, is it like whack a

mole, as soon as you prosecute one, another pops up elsewhere? It seems

like that, yes. Here we are having the same conversation about the same

people who don't appear to have changed their spots. Did the

investigation is in the past help anyway? The job that went to court,

that came about as a result of exposure on the Watchdog programme

and after fairly lengthy investigations, Peter Varey and

James Cunningham have pleaded guilty to a number of fraud charges. I see

you have a few leaflets, what are they? If you get these through the

door, throw it in the bin. If you need a tree surgeon, get

recommendations and a couple of quotes. We have a spectacular spread

of dodgy tree bother us and the leaflet which suggests they are

still out there doing it. Luck! We have two options. We can either get

ourselves a house and a garden, fitted with cameras and see what

they do. Or, we just have one option. That is what we do.

If we don't get out our sponge hammer again, you won't get to see

which garden moles pop out of their holes to scam homeowners

And those are faces that you might see places.

Matt one of our stories last week not only provoked a huge response

We reported how billing mistakes by Vodafone were leading

to customers having black marks put on their credit rating.

Sue Cook had been battling to get that put right for two years.

In the meantime - she'd been chased by debt collectors for thousands

Well since our report Sue's been in touch with us again -

Vodafone have written to me and they have restored my credit score back

to excellent, which is absolutely fantastic news. I can sleep at

night, it is a weight off my shoulders and I can't thank Watchdog

enough. No problem, that is what we do.

But a pity she had to come to us get it sorted.

Still to come - Trains, drains and yesterday's meals.

Our swab mob is testing the country's railways.

Our swab mob is testing the railways.

I have set up shop outside the Midland Hotel on the Morgans

seafront. These guys have had holiday nightmares and we get

hundreds of e-mails about everything. One of the issues is

flight delays as millions of us gear up for the summer getaway, we wanted

to find out which airports you are least and most likely to experience

delays. We pulled together flight data over the last year and we look

at the biggest airports, 22 of them. Who do you think came best with the

least delays? The best performer was Birmingham, just 9% of flights with

more than 15 minutes later arriving or departing. Close behind Cardiff,

Newcastle and Liverpool. Bottom of the list, guys? It was London

Gatwick, 38% of flights over the year which either late arriving late

departing with an average delay of 47 minutes. Gatwick says a lot of

the issues outside of its control like strike action in Europe and

heavily congested airspace. Just behind Gatwick was Manchester, Ben

Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. We compared the biggest UK and Irish,

and it was Greenways. He was at the bottom? It was Norwegian, 26% of its

flights were late arriving followed by easyJet, British Airways, city

Jet and Virgin Atlantic. You can find all the details on our website.

Let's talk to Frank from holiday travel watch. Remind us, what is the

delay of flights has to have had to get compensation? Any flight

departing or arriving in the EU, is anything over three hours. The

airlines try to use the defence of extraordinary circumstances, but the

courts are helping these consumers. It can be tricky to get compensation

and loads of you have been in touch about that. I went to look at a new

system that is meant to make things more simple and clearer.

Delays, delays, delays. I have certainly had my fair share of

wasted hours waiting around airports.

In fact, more than a quarter of all flights are late by 15 minutes or

more. Waiting hours for a delayed flight is so frustrating, but it is

nothing compared to the time spent trying to get back the money you are

entitled to. There is a long list of rules about

when you can claim back for delays, cancelled flights and lost luggage.

But even when you are legally entitled to a refund, it can be a

massive battle to get your cash, as airlines tried to weasel out of

paying off. It used to be that if your airline refused to pay, your

only option was to take them to court. Last year, the Civil Aviation

Authority introduced a new system to avoid that is called alternative

dispute resolution. It means you can now take your case to an independent

organisation for a legally binding decision. Most airlines have signed

up with one of the two services. It was recently called the retail

ombudsman. This system is meant to make things more simple. But a

number of you have been in touch saying, far from making it easier to

get your money back, it is causing more delays. Donald's Thomson flight

to Italy was cancelled last August and he is still waiting for a

refund. Donald, you had a holiday plans, but things didn't go to plan?

My partner and I booked a holiday to Sardinia. On the day we travelled,

the plane was delayed by 16.5 hours, so we arrived at 1:30am and the car

hire we booked wasn't there so daily-macro and bags are missing. It

was a disaster, the whole beginning of the holiday was ruined. What

happens when you got back? I started off the process to recover the

money. First of all with Thomson and they didn't engage with me at all,

no correspondence. Fed up, Donald took his case to CDADR and it ruled

in his favour and ordered Thomson to pay up within 20 days but the

airline only paid back some of the money. The adjudication was for 1776

euros. And I have had ?450 from Thomson. I bet you are a busy man

and you don't have time to be writing to everyone? Very busy. It

is a complete waste of time. Loads of you have been in touch to say you

are in the same situation, so you have got what is meant to be a

legally binding ruling, saying the airline must pay within 20 working

days, but months later, you are still waiting, including Jan, whose

Thomson flights to Greece were cancelled. But despite the claim

being polled in February, she has had nothing. Some passengers are

facing an even longer wait when it seems the entire process grinds to a

halt before you have even got a decision. Tara was pregnant with her

third child when the buggy was lost on a Ryanair flight in August last

year. The airline ignored her request for compensation, so she

took her complaint to the other adjudicator, aviation ADR. I got in

touch with them in February and they asked for a lot of correspondence

what I have had from Ryanair, baggage receipts and things. Which I

did. They came back quite quickly, saying I have provided enough

information for them to investigate. After that, it seemed to go

completely dead. I tried to get in touch with them again to find out

what was happening. And they said it was still with Ryanair and they

still needed more time. Since then, Tara has chased and chaste, five

months later she is still waiting for a decision. For her, the process

has been anything but simple and quick. 1-1 initially I was quite

optimistic, but as the time has gone on, I have lost hope. From the cases

we have seen, it seems for a system that is meant to help passengers,

there doesn't seem to be much cop. I invited Ruth Sutton, a travel law

specialist from the University of Chester to find out what could be

going wrong. The Civil Aviation Authority say it is legally binding,

but are they? It has the same force of a contract between the two

parties. There are a number of processors to go through before the

contract is binding. Who can force the decision? One is to get the

civil sheesh and authority involved, they are the regulator. And the

other is to take the case to the small square in court, like any

other claim. In essence, you would be starting again, although you

would have the evidence of the adjudicator, which would be very

strong evidence in your favour. It is such a fat because it takes so

long. We think it is a simple process and then the customer is

left waiting for ages. You are right, the reality of the situation

is, it can be a long, drawn-out process. So, what is the point of a

resolution system that doesn't resolve anything? Is this just

another excuse for airlines to delay paying us back? It is still as

complicated as ever? The ADR was meant to bring back a new deal for

consumers. While some consumers are settling these problems, many more

are not. One of them is Kerry, what happened to you? We arrived at the

airport last year to go on holiday and we had baggage issues so we

missed the flight. When we came back, we complain to Ryanair and

unable to resolve it with them. I went to the Civil Aviation Authority

who pointed us towards the retail ombudsman. They then took five

months to tell us they couldn't deal with the issue and go back to the

Civil Aviation Authority. So it is still unresolved. Passed round the

houses. The Civil Aviation Authority has become this new ADR. What do you

think of this case? My view should be Kerry should go back to the civil

Asia Asian authority -- Civil Aviation Authority because they are

supposed to be there for consumers. Have you got that fight in you? I

will carry on. The Civil Aviation Authority have said 9000 passengers

have used ADR and 70% of cases have been resolved in the passenger's

favour. It says most are dealt with within its time frames and is not

aware of airlines systematically failing to pay compensation.

Although in a small number of cases, things have taken longer wild things

are matched up with the ADR services. The resolution business in

Donald's Kays said all the airlines that are signed up are required to

comply as its decisions. Occasionally problems occur when an

airline experiences administrative difficulties, but it won't close a

case until customers get their money. Thompson apologises to any

customers experiencing a delay in receiving payment. It is contacting

Donald directly and says it is fair and thorough in dealing with claims

and processes them as fast as possible. As for Tara, it is not

easy to get to the bottom of this. Ryanair said it is told as it is

waiting for her it is for her to submit more information on the ADR.

But in February, aviation ADR told Tara she had sent all the details

needed. They have asked her to resubmit all her evidence, while at

the same time, telling us it believes Ryanair is dealing with the

case directly. Absolute chaos. It leaves Tara no closer to getting a

decision. But aviation ADR told us it hasn't experienced any problems

of airlines refusing to accept decisions or pay compensation. It

says delays with that are more likely to be down to resourcing

issues than deliberate. Kerry, in your case it said it was outside its

jurisdiction, but it took awhile to establish that. They have said they

have introduced an initial assessment team to confirm if cases

are in its within 24 hours. But next - back to Rogue Traders -

where we're chasing down a family group of tree surgeons who aren't

worthy of the name. If these were real surgeons,

one would be removing your gall bladder -

while the other removes your purse. Bromley, Kent, England, Europe,

controversial. We need to find out if eight years since we first

crossed chainsaws with the Varey's they are still making life a misery

in Kent and South London but first the setup. James is a proper tree

surgeon, if you have a problem and no one can help, maybe... Oh, he's

over there. How are you? Tell us about the garden. A little conifer

we need to lift above a public footpath and a tree which needs to

be taken out. Estimate of the cost? ?300 maximum. The actress is ready,

we are set, a truck arrives and a man comes to our door, he is clearly

a Varey. John Varey, identify yourself. Now you are not, you are

John Varey of clan Varey. Here you are on the Facebook as such. False

name, great start. Remember we are sick of the sycamore and some

conifer branches need removing, James Penders says ?300 all in.

And a little bit of BET fraud thrown in for good measure. Do not forget

VAT is 10% so it should be ?210 off, not 50 quid, if that was an OK thing

to do. Pat counts the cash, John Varey has a slash. He is having a

weed by the car. That's a bit unpleasant. Relieved, it's now time

to debrief the conifer tree. Cutting or the other one is underneath him.

He's almost bashed his mate on the head. Single-handed chainsaw use on

a ladder, no harness. It's like the circus. I can work.

Active butchery number one, all the pedestrians and public walking

through, using chainsaws and dropping stuff, it's a free for all.

He's filling up a chainsaw with petrol whilst smoking a cigarette.

Chainsaw, children, petrol and fags, not a good combination. He is stood

up on the fence, no harness, no helmet. One-handed. Holding the PC

is cutting. -- holding the peace that he is cutting. This is just a

list of things not to do with the chainsaw. Cutting right in front of

his face and neck. The chainsaw is off, it's fallen to the ground.

Fallen down the side of the car. There you go, throw it over the

fence without looking. Nice. Every single thing they are doing is just

wrong. Surprisingly they finish the job without killing themselves, now

it's time to pay. It is lucky the record this stuff.

John takes the opportunity to swipe the flyer, why would he want to do

that? With an extra 50 quid in his pocket

John Varey makes like a tree and leaves. What do you make of that?

Terrible, as expected, we saw straightaway overcharging, 45

minutes work over ?1000. Then we have the danger, juggling chainsaws,

pedestrians on the road, going around them working there, it is

terrible. And then right at the end taking the flyer and you just know

it's somebody who does not want to be caught or followed up, it's the

sleight of hand, taking it off the table and out of there. You were

with us in 2009 with Sean Varey and 2015 with Peter Varey, other

similarities? It's the same thing, getting worse every single time.

Thank you. You might be asking how big is this right now? I will see

you in court. Or at least just outside.

Yes, we just can't get enough of these dodgepots.

We're getting back John Varey one more time to see

if runs like the wind, or falls flat on his

Before that - Nikki Fox - what's in the inbox?

We have had a massive response to this story on smart meters safety,

thank you for getting in touch. An e-mail from an electrician who has

told us smart meter problems are becoming a big part of his

call-outs, he regularly sees loose connections and dangerous problems.

And reaction to the government statement confirming 18 incidents in

the first half of the year, won the says three month a shocking figure

and another saying it is 18 to many. Duncan on Twitter suggests suppliers

send a second person afterwards to sign off installations and provide

of mind. And Kirsty on Twitter has got ahead of the train hygiene film

saying she is always happy getting on bossy and trains, always getting

on dirty buses and trains but we pay so they should be clean. And we have

not even done the item yet! Fares are at record

highs, constant delays. Surely the rail companies

can at least guarantee Judging by the messages and

photographs frustrated travellers regularly put on social media it is

clear we are not always impressed with the state of our trains.

Obviously it passengers to leave things messy but it's the

responsibility of the train companies to clean it all up. So how

well do they do that? To find out our swab mob put them to the test

and the hygiene expert Sylvia has joined me in an old school railway

tearoom to analyse the results. What should customers reasonably expect

when it comes to hygiene? Trains should be clean and hygienic

especially for longer journeys where passengers might have to eat food or

use facilities. We don't expect it to be perfect but we expect them to

be regularly cleaned. We selected the three train

operators UK passengers travelled furthest west, as part of their

contracts all them make cleaning commitments. South West Trains...

They also promise to clean their trains... Virgin Trains West Coast

says... And Govia Thameslink who operate great Northern, tends link

and the Gatwick Express promise... They even have a handy video guide

to show how staff members are supposed to clean featuring Mary who

appears to be some kind of sausage, very odd. We sent our swab mob on

five journeys were age of the three operators. As well as looking for

dirt they could see they took swab samples to test the bacteria that is

not visible to the naked eye. Each train was tested at the beginning of

its journey from a terminus station so right after staff had the

opportunity to spruce things up. First up virgin West Coast. That is

filthy. That is a Hoover isn't it. It is an easy fix. Is that a food

bag in the toilet? Who been eating there? All five journeys turned up

things which left us unimpressed, 30 seats and stained toilets. Dusty

floors and rubbish. And on this train what appears to be dandruff on

a headrest. I would not expect that, I would want that clean. Next up was

Govia Thameslink, the first train we got on appeared clean but the second

had dirty floors and deluded and look great either. There is virtue

expect in a public toilet but that looks at its been built up, you can

see it. Is that bad? Yes, that is unacceptable. Then, this. That is

awful. Good companies would have a cleaning schedule in place, toilets

checked every couple of hours and it's clean. They are letting

passengers down. We found similar conditions on the other three trains

as well. Finally South West Trains. On our first journey tray tables had

liquid stains and the toilet was particularly dirty with stains on

the buttons and sink. I would not want to take my children and they

are. Back in the carriage we found old food on the floor presumably

from the night before as not to many people eat chips at 9am when this

was filmed. How they clean their trains every three hours is beyond

me. We found mixed conditions on the other four journeys but one toilet

showed obvious signs of a recent clean. What do you make of it all?

What we have seen is quite disgusting, all the trains are not

keeping their promise about keeping trains clean and hygienic for

customers. We have seen such filth especially the cheers in the toilets

in the food trays, it unacceptable. As well as those visual inspections

are teams swapped several services on each train journey and sent the

samples to an accredited microbiology lab for analysis. First

up the carriage doors, an area most passengers will come into contact

with. It was good news here, almost all of the samples from each company

came back with the low bacteria count meaning they seem to have been

cleaned well prior to the start of the journey. But it was a more mixed

result when we tested the toilet door handle. Of the samples from her

five virgin on the two were deemed to be clean. One was an clean and

two classed as dirty. Go via Thames like a two clusters clean, one

unclean and two very dirty. As for South West, three were listed as

clean and two very dirty. What does that mean? The level of bacteria

present indicates certain areas of the train have not been cleaned

regularly. Even though it's not harmful it should not be showing at

those high levels that is what not acceptable.

Next on our list with a tray tables, an area you are likely to come into

contact with if you are eating. The samples on all journeys on Virgin

Trains and South West Trains came back with low levels of bacteria, an

indication of good cleaning. On Govia Thameslink, three were also

clean but the lab labelled one as dirty and the final one was not only

dirty, it contained bacteria. How did it get onto the tray table, I

don't want to ask? My best guesses when people go to the toilet, they

don't wipe themselves properly, they don't wash their hands and then they

go onto the train and they contaminate the worktop. Can there

be problems from this bacteria? There can be, but if the train

companies clean their trains as promised, there will be no risk to

the customers. It is not acceptable and they need to do something about

it. Well nothing we came across on the day travel presents any serious

risk, it reinforces Sylvia's concerns that on-board cleanliness

may not always be up to scratch. Each of the companies we tested has

stressed their commitment to hygiene, and told us they clean

all their trains overnight. Virgin Trains say independent

surveys show 90% of its customers are completely satisfied

with its cleanliness, and that the trains with a negative

result on the toilet door handles had already been in

service for many hours. South West Trains also told us

the trains we tested had been in use for several hours,

but said that many do get an extra clean after the morning rush -

and that carrying hundreds of thousands of passengers

a day inevitably has Finally, Govia Thameslink said

it was disappointed some of its trains weren't up

to standard, and it's reviewing It says it's teams give carriages

an extra clean when trains turn around at main stations,

but at busy times what they can do With me is Edward Welsh

from the Rail Delivery Group, which speaks for

the train companies. Thank you for coming in, presumably

be paid for your train travel? You came from London Euston to

Manchester, but that is a trip bank can cost over ?300 for the return.

Why doesn't that buy me a clean toilet? Nobody likes to travel on a

dirty train. Customers expect the highest cleanliness and hygiene.

Train companies work hard to try to keep them clean, but we don't always

get it right and we need to do more. This is beyond not getting it right.

We saw filth which is not the result of just a few hours travel. That is

not deep cleaning in the way these charter promises say they should.

When Britain goes to sleep, thousands of rail workers worked

through the night to clean every train. All the trains of these

companies go back to the depot, sidings or the stations. The cubicle

is washed, the toilet is cleaned, the sink is clean, the dryer is

checked, the toilet paper is checked, sink is washed, the

corridor is vacuumed, the seats are brushed... I will be honest with

you, I travel on trains quite a lot and that is not uncommon what I am

seeing. Those are not examples we have had to look hard for, so the

things you are talking about, if they are happening, they are not

working. Every night, thousands of workers worked through the night and

then during the day, the trains are cleaned again, depending on where

they are in the network. If they can't return to the depot, they are

cleaned again. If they have a quick turnaround at their final

destination, they have a quick tidy up and then get back into service.

But you are right, more needs to be done. I have spoken to all the

managers who are involved in these train companies and I can assure

you, they are concerned about what you have found and they have

reviewed their cleaning practices and looking to see if there can be

improvements. So we will see changes? One company has made a

point of telling their staff to take extra care when cleaning the toilet

door handles. Next tonight - Steph's

roaming along the beach. We talk about using the cost of your

mobile phones abroad. How many here have had the big bill when they have

come back from their holidays? A lot of people in that position. Last

month, new rules came in meanie you can use your UK data allowance and

text allowance are no extra cost. In Europe, you might be able to relax

and not worry, but there are still a few things you need to watch out for

if you are using your phone abroad. Ernest is a technology expert. We

have been getting lots of questions and you have been answering them. We

have had an e-mail from James Fellows who has an unlimited data

package with Three, he went to Greece and then was surprised to get

an ?80 charge. He said when he was near the border with Albania, his

phone connected to an Albanian network which isn't in the EU, so

how can you avoid this? Changer mobile from automatic selection onto

manual selection. The next time it is low, it sticks with the network

you are on and doesn't run any extra bills. Good news for James, we have

contacted Three and they will refund his costs. Anna has a question for

you, what is it? Hello, my daughter has gone to an EU country on holiday

and she has been told she can use her bundle, but I cannot phone her

fur free, why is that? When you're calling, whether inside or out of

the UK, from the UK it is not roaming, it is an international

call. As she is roaming, she can use her UK bundle differently. There are

different packages you can get which reduces the cost of calling abroad.

Thank you for your time. That from us here at Morecambe. Goodbye

everyone. Goodbye. Back now to Rogue Traders -

and the very hairy Vareys, a family of dangerous tree manglers

and bush botherers who are mauling the Garden

of England and South London. Put on your trainers

and try to keep up. We have never seen the various

varies before, but Peter and James were in court this year pleading

guilty to six counts of fraud between them and they were joined by

friends and relatives. Peter Varey now. Here comes the James

Cunningham. And looking Wells was with them, it is our very own James.

Sorry no, John Varey. That is right. And Sean, haven't seen you since

2009. It is like a Who's Who of one trustworthy tree people. The good

news is, Peter and James have supportive friends who are there for

them. The bad news is, they could also be there for them when they

come knocking on doors, hacking down trees and squeezing people for

money. That means more leaflets and more heartache for people who make

mistake and let them through the door. We call out John Varey again

and we would like to explain that behaving like this is not OK. Early

morning in Orpington and we are set and ready to see another Varey come

down our garden path. This time, John Varey. The questions in my mind

is, what is it like getting up every morning, knowing you will go and do

shoddy work with a chainsaw and charge ridiculous sum of money?

Before we know it, here comes the van and the man. John Varey on the

scene. Hello. Are you doing. Some stuff round the back, be careful...

BBC Rogue Traders, how are you doing, John. It seems like the first

name will vary, but nothing else, does it. The first name will vary,

but nothing else. The M mode is the same. Round and round the garden,

like a teddy bear. One step, two step, I think we tickled him under

there. What ever your beliefs, never give any credence to Vareys at the

bottom of your garden. John Varey has a phone

so I gave him a call. Hello. Is that John? This is James.

Call yourself James, but you are John Varey. We didn't get time to

talk because you ran round your van. We have a lot to talk about, the

ridiculous charges you made for the work you did, ?1050 for 50 minutes

work. It is ridiculous. What do you want me to do? You can give us our

money back. The real problem is, you are part of a family we have now

featured three times and Rogue Traders. You don't know those guys

at all? You have never met them? You don't know Peter Varey? Sean vary,

you have never met him? The thing that you have in common is the way

that you do your work, the ridiculous charges you make.

We have cleared that bit up. Now we are talking about the way you are

messing around with chainsaws and you are not ripping off the area

where you are working. Someone is going to get hurt. If you say that

is just the way you work, that doesn't cover it. You will hurt

somebody, whether it is your selves or members of the public, it is

unacceptable. Now you'll recall we saw

the whole gang Peter, And last week after pleading guilty

to fraud Peter Varey got three years and James Cunningham was given a two

year suspended sentence. Meanwhile if you've see

James Doyle the one we call Jimmy Fiddler or Tinkerbell,

the Police would like to speak Contact Crimestoppers anonymously

on 0800 555 111 - or online. I love it when you go

all Crimewatch. Don't forget if you've got a story

you'd like us to investigate, the details of how to get in touch

are on screen. And thanks for all the comments

you've sent while we've A lot of you have been getting in

touch about your flight delay, getting the money back. Sarah Guyot

into a chant said it has taken three years to get compensation after a 23

Raqqa 24 hour delay. Maureen has asked how to apply for compensation.

Your first port of call is always the airline. Try them first and then

go to a ADR if you have no luck. James on Twitter is delighted we

told him, the airline and airport he is flying from in two weeks has the

highest run of delays in the last year. If you have no joys, get in

touch with us. Ian Brown says, catch a train in Japan, they are sparkling

clean and they carry more passengers. Thank you, Nikki.

We're back to Wednesday at 8 next week.

When Ricky Wilson from the Kaiser Chiefs

Steph will be joining us in the studio as well.

We know how much that gets your goat and guess what he feels the same.

Bye! Bye!