:00:09. > :00:14.You're watching X-Ray. On tonight's programme: Breaking the law - the
:00:14. > :00:20.sunbed salons who'll let anyone in. Banned as a troublemaker - why
:00:20. > :00:22.won't Edwards Coaches let Margaret travel with them? And our old
:00:23. > :00:32.friends Excel Parking - how the DVLA's making life it more
:00:33. > :00:42.
:00:42. > :00:45.Hello. Tonight I'm in Ebbw Vale. It's a familiar place for us,
:00:45. > :00:52.especially this Car park. The company that runs it, Excel Parking,
:00:52. > :00:55.has upset hundreds of local people. But now the authorities are
:00:55. > :00:58.clamping down on the company's actions. More on that later. First
:00:58. > :01:05.though, a year ago our government bought in new laws to protect
:01:05. > :01:15.children and adults from the dangers of using sunbeds. But are
:01:15. > :01:16.
:01:16. > :01:26.tanning salons on our High Street There was a time when you talked
:01:26. > :01:31.
:01:31. > :01:35.about a good, healthy tan. But things have changed. A 14-year-old
:01:35. > :01:42.girl had to be rushed to hospital with first degree burns over most
:01:42. > :01:47.of her body after spending 90 minutes on a sunbed. This is Kirsty,
:01:47. > :01:52.the result of spending 90 minutes in eight tanning both at an
:01:52. > :01:57.unmanned salon. Since that shocking case, the law has been changed.
:01:57. > :02:04.Under 18 San now banned from tanning salons. Even adults need to
:02:04. > :02:09.be given sensible advice. Under the new laws, all tanning salons must
:02:09. > :02:16.check the age of customers. Help them work out their skin type. And
:02:16. > :02:24.give advice based on that skin- tight. If they SSE was having fair
:02:24. > :02:29.skin, they should advise you not to hasten bed at all. They have to
:02:29. > :02:33.display this stark warning in reception. It's a bit like the
:02:33. > :02:39.warning on cigarette packet? Well, there is a reason for that. They
:02:39. > :02:47.are both official class one carcinogens. But our Welsh tanning
:02:47. > :02:54.salons playing by the rules? We are going to find out. Meet 14-year-old
:02:54. > :02:58.LF. She is way too young to use a sunbed. And this is Karen. Her fair
:02:58. > :03:05.skin means she needs to be careful in the sun. They are going to get
:03:05. > :03:11.some tanning advice from a skin that is -- expert. So sunbeds
:03:11. > :03:18.damage your skin. Having a suntan naturally or from a sunbed, you
:03:18. > :03:24.have to damage the DNA of the skin to cause suntan to happen. The only
:03:24. > :03:29.safe tan is a fake tan. Are I have fairly fair skin and quite a few
:03:29. > :03:35.freckles. Should I be using something like a sunbed? I would
:03:35. > :03:42.not recommended for somebody as fair-skinned as you. You have told
:03:42. > :03:46.us that you burn easily. Stay away and fake it. Definitely. If I walk
:03:46. > :03:53.in with quite fair skin, and somebody let me use a sunbed? What
:03:53. > :03:58.you think about that? If you told them what you told me and they let
:03:58. > :04:04.you, I think they would be negligent. Now it is 14-year-old
:04:04. > :04:14.Ella's turn. Is it more dangerous for me to use a sunbed now than if
:04:14. > :04:15.
:04:15. > :04:23.I was a 25? So ended at a young age seems to be more dangerous at a
:04:23. > :04:28.young age. If they let you, they would be breaking the law.
:04:28. > :04:32.sunbed businesses like the one in this swish salon in Cardiff Bay
:04:32. > :04:37.should refuse entry to allow for being too young and advise Karen
:04:37. > :04:44.that she should not be using a sunbed because her skin is to fair.
:04:44. > :04:54.But is that the advice they will get? The girls are getting rigged
:04:54. > :04:57.
:04:58. > :05:04.up with secret cameras. Hello. seems some salons do not care who
:05:04. > :05:08.they serve. Join us later for the shocking results of this
:05:08. > :05:12.investigation. More on that later. Remember if you've got anything to
:05:12. > :05:16.say on this story or if there's an issues you'd like us to investigate
:05:16. > :05:20.get in touch now. The lines are open now, or you can email us or
:05:20. > :05:25.send us a tweet. Now here on X-Ray we're all about standing up for
:05:25. > :05:35.your rights. So when a viewer told us that one company banned her
:05:35. > :05:35.
:05:35. > :05:39.after she'd done just that, we had to find out more. There is a new
:05:39. > :05:43.troublemaker in town. This woman has been striking fear into the
:05:43. > :05:52.heart of one Welsh coach firm. So much so that they have taken
:05:53. > :05:58.drastic action. But this is not your typical rabble-rouser. This is
:05:58. > :06:03.Margaret, a housewife. What has she done to deserve this fearsome
:06:03. > :06:08.reputation? She has simply spoken out against poor customer service.
:06:08. > :06:11.This summer, Margaret and Carl booked a nine-day tour of the
:06:11. > :06:15.French Riviera with Excel Parking. They travelled with them before and
:06:15. > :06:20.were fought -- sure they had all the right ingredients to make the
:06:20. > :06:30.trip extra-special. We look through the brochure added was in -- an
:06:30. > :06:30.
:06:30. > :06:35.area we always funded that -- fancy going. But the holiday did not turn
:06:35. > :06:40.out as they were hoping. The problem started on the very first
:06:40. > :06:44.morning when the minibus taking them to the pick-up point was late.
:06:44. > :06:49.Then they were told the luxurious coach they had paid extra for was
:06:49. > :06:56.not available. And when Margaret and Carl arrived at their
:06:56. > :07:01.destination, the four-star Embassy Hotel, the disappointment continued.
:07:01. > :07:04.We refer has got there, there was no one on the reception desk. --
:07:04. > :07:09.when we first got there. One of the people on the trip was handing out
:07:09. > :07:13.the keys for the rooms. The room was not clean. The bedding was
:07:13. > :07:19.clean but the carpet was marked and it was dingy. It looked like it was
:07:19. > :07:23.due for a bit of an update. What about the food at the hotel?
:07:23. > :07:28.thought it was like canteen food. You had to order it the night
:07:28. > :07:32.before. Every day, you knew you had to go back to the hotel and the
:07:32. > :07:36.standard of food, and it just took the edge of the holiday. Left
:07:36. > :07:40.feeling their four-star Holiday had fallen short of what they had been
:07:40. > :07:43.promised, Margaret and Carl contacted Excel Parking -- Edwards
:07:43. > :07:48.Coaches when they got home to let them know about the problems they
:07:48. > :07:53.had had. The firm offered this is serious apologies. Be refunded the
:07:53. > :07:57.couple the extra �100 they had paid to travel on board the luxury coach.
:07:57. > :08:02.But Margaret and Carl felt they should be refunded part of the cost
:08:02. > :08:10.of the trip. And after a while, Edwards Coaches offered them an
:08:10. > :08:13.amount they found their adjustable, �300. How were things left? If you
:08:13. > :08:19.want to put it another holiday in the future, get in touch and we
:08:19. > :08:22.will make sure everything is fine. That is how we left it. A but
:08:22. > :08:26.Margaret and Carl was soon to discover that Edwards Coaches's
:08:26. > :08:31.apologies and promises of a personal services -- service were
:08:31. > :08:36.little more than a gesture. Behind the scenes, they were planning not
:08:36. > :08:44.to allow market and Carl to travel with them again. -- Margaret. Last
:08:44. > :08:50.month, Margaret-Ann five friends decided to go and an -- on an
:08:50. > :08:56.Edwards Coaches holiday -- shopping trip to Bath. We were saving up
:08:56. > :09:04.every week. We decided that we would go on the trip. It would be
:09:05. > :09:10.nice for a change. We were looking forward to it. But then Margaret
:09:10. > :09:17.got a shocking call from Edwards Coaches. They told her they would
:09:17. > :09:21.be refunding the �94 she had paid for the day out in Bath. And the
:09:21. > :09:26.reason for the cancellation? In case the trip did not meet
:09:26. > :09:31.Margaret's high standards. I just thought it was a joke. I went to
:09:31. > :09:41.class on the Tuesday and they thought I was joking. It is totally
:09:41. > :09:46.ridiculous. I was really upset, actually. To be treated like that,
:09:46. > :09:49.it is just childish. It seems just ridiculous to think that after a
:09:49. > :09:55.complaint, to say that you while blacklisted that you cannot go with
:09:55. > :09:59.them any more, it is unbelievable. When you complain, you do not
:09:59. > :10:06.expect to not be able to book some pink after it. It is absolutely
:10:06. > :10:14.awful. You decided not to go on the trip. We were looking forward but
:10:14. > :10:18.if Margaret cannot come to Bath, we decided not to go. We have had a
:10:18. > :10:28.Edwards Coaches cake made. Margaret, you have made a special declaration
:10:28. > :10:42.
:10:42. > :10:45.for it. That Kate is perfect. Edwards Coaches, banned. Well, it
:10:45. > :10:48.seems Edwards Coaches aren't going to budge. They agree that Margaret
:10:48. > :10:51.and Carl deserved compensation for their French holiday. But they say
:10:51. > :10:53.they've banned the couple from travelling with them again because
:10:53. > :10:56.their behaviour was unacceptable, because they incited other
:10:56. > :10:59.passengers to complain. Well, we asked the couple about that. They
:10:59. > :11:02.say they just told their friends what had happened to them. Now back
:11:02. > :11:09.to our investigation into the way sunbed salons are operating. It's
:11:09. > :11:17.time to find out how many stick to the law. It is 9 o'clock on
:11:17. > :11:22.Saturday morning in the office. Karen and Ella are on a mission.
:11:22. > :11:31.They are going undercover to find out if sunbed salons will put their
:11:31. > :11:36.health risk to make a few quid. Earlier, they met a skin expert.
:11:36. > :11:46.This was her advice. So under Nat a young age seems to be more
:11:46. > :11:50.
:11:50. > :12:00.dangerous than sunburn when you Wilder. -- are older. I think if
:12:00. > :12:04.
:12:04. > :12:13.they let you use a sunbed, they Under the laws, under 18 * banned
:12:13. > :12:19.from tanning salons and salons must check ages. Out on the road with
:12:19. > :12:29.their hidden cameras, the girls spot some tempting offers. But will
:12:29. > :12:51.
:12:51. > :13:01.they check age? I am hoping to get But at least they asked for
:13:01. > :13:04.
:13:04. > :13:14.identification. No questions at the And they were not the only ones.
:13:14. > :13:20.Eight out of Cardiff's 12 salons were happy to let her on the sunbed.
:13:20. > :13:24.Not actively checking it is a criminal offence. That is quite
:13:24. > :13:29.worrying because it is a major safeguard that the user should be
:13:29. > :13:36.over 18 years of age. They make sensible decisions. And just to
:13:36. > :13:40.ignore that requirement I think is really, really poor. Two-thirds of
:13:40. > :13:46.Cardiff's salons are committing a crime by letting in children. But
:13:46. > :13:51.salons must also help customers access skin-tight. Let's put it to
:13:51. > :14:01.the test. Beauty on the park near the city centre did not think Karen
:14:01. > :14:20.
:14:20. > :14:25.was that fair. Skin-tight? What do Both these salons failed to spot
:14:25. > :14:30.Karen's fair skin and they were not alone. These five salons did not
:14:30. > :14:36.make any attempt to assess skin type. Again, that is a criminal
:14:36. > :14:40.offence. They are required to assist the customer. This is not
:14:40. > :14:44.paid any great picture of the industry. It is it a very poor
:14:45. > :14:52.example. The more than half of Cardiff's salons either did not
:14:52. > :14:57.check skin-tight all got it wrong. But the law also demands the advice
:14:57. > :15:01.on the use of sunbeds. Karen has got fair skin and a dermatologist
:15:01. > :15:11.advised her never to use a sunbed. But every salon in Cardiff offered
:15:11. > :15:47.
:15:47. > :15:53.This salon offered both girls She would have been fried. She
:15:53. > :16:03.would have come out as a lobster. What damage would that have done?
:16:03. > :16:04.
:16:04. > :16:09.When you Byrne, that is a radiation damage to your skin. In at the
:16:09. > :16:15.long-term, to have done that you have damaged DNA in your skin and
:16:15. > :16:20.it is damage to DNA which has a risk of skin cancer. We went to
:16:20. > :16:26.every tanning salon in Cardiff and they are either gave bad advice or
:16:26. > :16:36.no advice at all. Eight out of 12 for happy to flout the law and let
:16:36. > :16:37.
:16:37. > :16:45.a 14-year-old Tam. But there is worse to come. That was so easy. No
:16:45. > :16:48.idea, no information. Later in the programme we uncover the coin-
:16:48. > :16:52.operated salon. That is a really worrying report.
:16:52. > :16:55.What did the salons have to say? Well, first of all Tan and Tone
:16:55. > :17:01.refused to respond at all, and Chi Chi told us they would investigate
:17:01. > :17:04.our allegations. At the other end of the spectrum, Supersun Tanning,
:17:04. > :17:06.Sunglo and Gloden, who let Ella into one of their three salons, say
:17:06. > :17:10.they normally maintain high standards and are retraining staff
:17:10. > :17:20.as a result of our investigations. Those last two have disciplined
:17:20. > :17:24.staff. A bit of a coincidence that they all had a lapse of standard on
:17:24. > :17:28.that particular day we visited. These were all salons which let our
:17:28. > :17:31.14-year-olds in. Did the rest have something to say about that. Well,
:17:31. > :17:35.Tanners seemed furious that Ella had lied about her age and said
:17:35. > :17:44.that if she had told them she was 14 they wouldn't have let her in.
:17:44. > :17:48.That's hardly the point. OK, and what about the failure on skin type
:17:48. > :17:51.checking? I've mentioned some of the salons already but Beauty in
:17:51. > :17:55.the Park say they did their best to assess Karen's skin type and
:17:55. > :17:58.complied fully with the law. even when they got the skin type
:17:58. > :18:04.right the salons were given bad advice. Yes, Welsh Government
:18:04. > :18:13.advice is that people with skin like Karen's shouldn't tan. But
:18:13. > :18:16.some sunbed businesses disagree. In particular Sun Angels and Gloden,
:18:16. > :18:19.which gave Karen eight and ten minutes, say their advice was right.
:18:20. > :18:25.Thanks Rachel. And we've put more of those responses from those
:18:25. > :18:28.companies on our website. Now for more than a year, tensions
:18:28. > :18:31.have been running high here in Ebbw Vale. And this is the reason. The
:18:31. > :18:34.Walk car park was taken over by a new company, Excel Parking Services
:18:34. > :18:44.Ltd, last September and it wasn't long before furious drivers started
:18:44. > :18:45.
:18:45. > :18:50.complaining to X-Ray. Before Excel Parking came to town, parking here
:18:50. > :18:59.was easy. People were not charged but overstaying their welcome and
:18:59. > :19:04.disabled that when people with disabled badges never paid. -- and
:19:04. > :19:10.people with disabled badges never paid. There was no sign indicating
:19:10. > :19:16.that disabled badges should pay as well. Later on we were told it was
:19:16. > :19:21.on the machine. If you are disabled driver and you have never paint,
:19:21. > :19:25.you would not think of going to the machine. Many blue badge holders
:19:25. > :19:34.were caught out and dozens of other drivers told us they have been
:19:34. > :19:39.unfairly charged as well. Excel Parking gave demands by post. Once
:19:39. > :19:47.we got involved, Excel Parking put up more signs are waved much of the
:19:47. > :19:50.charges. Excel Parking have told us they always stick to their industry
:19:50. > :19:54.code of practice that the DVLA disagrees. They have ruled the
:19:54. > :19:57.company signs were inaccurate and warned let them have any motorist
:19:57. > :20:06.details for another three months until they have put things right.
:20:06. > :20:11.Have things improved? Do you drive? Do you part here? I can see you
:20:11. > :20:16.rolling eyes. I won't use it. The money is not going to the council.
:20:16. > :20:22.It is going to a private firm. It is a small town and the money
:20:22. > :20:31.should go to the council. You can drive around that car park and go
:20:31. > :20:37.out and you'll get fined. That is just driving around. You go and get
:20:37. > :20:43.your ticket and before you get to the car, they are there. I got
:20:43. > :20:47.fined twice for parking there. I parked in the disability a not
:20:47. > :20:52.realising that the put the new signs that. The DVLA has stopped
:20:52. > :20:58.issuing details to the company of drivers' cars. What you think?
:20:58. > :21:04.is the way to go, why should they? Why should they have access to
:21:04. > :21:08.something that his personal? Excel Parking a making changes to their
:21:08. > :21:12.signs that this is the third time the DVLA has banned the company
:21:12. > :21:18.from accessing driver's details. Local campaigner John Rogers
:21:18. > :21:24.welcomes the ban. I am absolutely delighted the DVLA has taken this
:21:24. > :21:31.action. I am afraid I am not confident this will resolve the
:21:31. > :21:39.situation completely. At least it is a start. While it is the parking
:21:39. > :21:44.like way you live? Join the debate on Twitter. We have seen some
:21:44. > :21:50.tannin Lalas -- tanning salons that are breaking the law.
:21:50. > :21:55.Three years ago 14-year-old Kirsty was hospitalised at be getting
:21:55. > :21:59.burnt at an unmanned coin operated tanning salon. I went into the shop,
:22:00. > :22:05.there was no one there. I put Mammon the end and I went on a
:22:05. > :22:12.sunbed. I realised I was wrecked when I got off. When I walked home
:22:12. > :22:17.I started feeling ill. I was taken into casualty. Since then the Welsh
:22:17. > :22:23.Government has introduced tough new laws to regulate tanning salons. An
:22:23. > :22:29.manned salons like the one Kirsty used in Barry have been outlawed. I
:22:29. > :22:38.were undercut by Dick -- investigations has shown girls get
:22:38. > :22:43.into salons. Like this one. Other surveys have shown this is
:22:43. > :22:47.happening across Wales. What shocked us most was just how far
:22:47. > :22:54.tanning salons like this one in which it would go in breaking the
:22:54. > :23:04.law. Another fair-skinned volunteer joined 14-year-old Ella for the
:23:04. > :23:13.
:23:13. > :23:23.She is not interested in giving any adviser until we ask for it. What
:23:23. > :23:26.
:23:26. > :23:30.about 14-year-old Ella? That was the worst case scenario,
:23:30. > :23:36.taking a �10 and sitting there feeding the machine until you fry.
:23:36. > :23:40.We contacted the salon but the owner was away. Nobody else was --
:23:40. > :23:50.would explain their failings to us. It is no better this upmarket salon
:23:50. > :24:01.
:24:01. > :24:11.Hang on. When did you supposed to give some health advice? -- went
:24:11. > :24:21.
:24:21. > :24:25.That is certainly a breach of the criminal law. Legislation has
:24:25. > :24:30.outlawed unmanned sunbeds. All we have is somebody saying it is
:24:30. > :24:34.through here, follow me. There is no way that is supervised, there is
:24:34. > :24:39.no advice, there is no verification of age, there is no way that member
:24:39. > :24:44.of staff can be described as competent. Frankly, a business
:24:44. > :24:47.operating like that is negligent. This salon has promised a full
:24:47. > :24:52.investigation and they will take disciplinary action if necessary.
:24:52. > :25:00.But they say their staff are not all his -- train to comply with the
:25:00. > :25:06.laws. You're one of the bay campaigners in this legislation.
:25:06. > :25:11.This is pretty getting. We have the tools and we have got used them. We
:25:11. > :25:16.have to see enforcement of this law. Our volunteers visited every salon
:25:16. > :25:21.we could find in Cardiff and then gave fair-skinned can and the
:25:21. > :25:27.advice they should have. Most are even prepared to put the health of
:25:27. > :25:36.children as young as 14 on the line. Even more staggering they are doing
:25:36. > :25:41.it for as little as �3. Kirsty is now 18. At the age of 14 she was
:25:41. > :25:45.badly burnt at an unmanned tiling - - tanning salon. Her mother became
:25:45. > :25:53.a campaigner for the change in the law and Bell Kirsty has seen away
:25:53. > :25:57.undercover footage. It is quite -- shocking. She did not give them any
:25:57. > :26:04.information. There was information on the wall that people can ignore
:26:04. > :26:08.that. What is to say it will never happen again? If you were caught
:26:08. > :26:13.selling alcohol to a minor you have the rise has taken off you, so why
:26:13. > :26:16.don't tanning shops get their licences taken of them? So what is
:26:16. > :26:20.being done to enforce these laws? I'm here with two of the women
:26:20. > :26:23.whose jobs it is to do just that. Sarah, it's your job to enforce the
:26:23. > :26:29.rules which stop children using sunbeds. Are you shocked by our
:26:29. > :26:31.findings? Yes, I am Lucy. Unfortunately it looks like the
:26:31. > :26:34.non-compliance rate in relation to underage sales has actually
:26:34. > :26:41.increased from your results from when we did it initially last year
:26:41. > :26:45.after the law had recently come into being. So there is significant
:26:45. > :26:50.cause for concern in what you have found. So will you now be taking
:26:50. > :26:53.action? Yes, what I intend to do now following your results is
:26:53. > :26:55.follow up with another complete line of test purchasing and then
:26:55. > :27:00.consider more formal enforcement action including prosecution where
:27:00. > :27:03.necessary. Bethan, your department enforces
:27:03. > :27:08.the health part of these laws making sure that salons check skin
:27:08. > :27:14.type and give the correct advice. They just don't seem to be doing
:27:14. > :27:18.that do they. No, your results are very worrying.
:27:19. > :27:21.The new legislation came into force last year. We did a lot of
:27:21. > :27:26.inspections to all of these premises, giving people advice on
:27:26. > :27:28.what they should be doing. We were happy at the end of it that they
:27:28. > :27:31.were complying. Well, our findings are showing
:27:31. > :27:34.something very different aren't they. How worrying is that for you
:27:34. > :27:37.and are you going to take action? It's very alarming and of course we
:27:37. > :27:45.will be taking action and we are very keen to see the information
:27:45. > :27:48.you have. And then working out what action to take. Thank you both, and
:27:48. > :27:50.we'll be giving you the full findings of our investigation. So
:27:50. > :27:54.that's what Cardiff council are promising. Looks like some of those
:27:54. > :27:57.salons could be getting a knock on the door in the near future. But
:27:57. > :28:02.since our secret filming three companies have told us they are
:28:02. > :28:05.making major changes. And that included Gloden who have branches
:28:05. > :28:11.across south Wales. They will be retraining all their 130 staff.
:28:11. > :28:13.Lets hope it makes a difference. Well that's it for this week, if
:28:13. > :28:16.you've got anything to say about this week's programme, or if
:28:17. > :28:21.there's anything you'd like us to investigate get in touch.
:28:21. > :28:25.You can give us a call on 03703 334 334, or send us an email. Leave us
:28:25. > :28:27.a daytime phone number so we can get in touch with you straightaway.