Episode 2 X-Ray

I'm Lucy Owen. And I'm Rhodri Owen. You are watching X-Ray.

Tonight, parishioners raised tens of thousands to do up this church.

But, 18 months after the builders left, it looks like this.

The tornado that left this woman without a proper phone line for

almost a year. And the free solar panels that

ended up costing one woman �20,000. Tonight, we are in Llandudno. We

have grabbed a little bit of sunshine. The unpredictable Welsh

weather is one good reason why some couples have to glamorous foreign

locations for their wedding. It rained on our wedding day. You

might guarantee the sunshine, but will you get the marriage

certificate? More about that later. We get a lot of calls about

builders but it is not every day the Church in Wales complained

about one. Rachel has been investigating. At their heads of

the valleys, the weather is harsh. To build a church strong enough to

withstand the wind and rain, you need a hard rock like granite. But

the parishioners to build St David's in Abercrave in 1912

preferred soft Bath stone. 100 years later, this is crumbling away

and the Church of had to call in builders. Enter a church

restoration specialist Daniel Hussey. He charged over �35,000.

The because says he was promised the repairs would last 30 years.

But it was not going to turn out that way. Not only that, the

builder brought the church and congregation unerringly into

contact in -- with dark forces. -- not knowingly. Alun Brookfield has

been vicar for nine years. The repairs were part of a project to

build a village community centre. It was huge. In seven years we

raised �62,000 from the efforts of local people doing strange and

wacky and normal things. We delivered a tube of Smarties to

everybody in the village and asked them to fill it with 20 pence

pieces. The children held a sponsored teddy bear bungee-jump

off the church tower. Alan and his wife Mary carried across to same

David's in Pembrokeshire, 85 miles. Everyone got involved because this

building is important and also because there is no community

facility at this end of the parish. The time frame, what we are looking

at? We looked to have it done in time for the centenary on July 15th.

That will not happen, it will be put back because of the incompetent

workmanship. Daniel Hussey's repairs went up two years ago and

six months later, they began to crumble. What Daniel did is

cracking. It is parting company with an based all over the church.

There is a massive bit, waiting to drop. It is dangerous and why we

cannot start to build the community centre. This area is where people

would enter the centre. Until we can be sure there is no stonework

falling, we cannot start building. What has the builder done wrong?

Kevin Tom's -- Kevin Thomas is a regular expert witness avail.

Daniel replaced the missing stone with mortar, but Kevin said that he

should have used actual stone. What about the way he has done it?

contractor has not stuck to his own specification. This is loose. We

can see that appears to be copper radiator pipe work, rather than

phosphor bronze dowel. Or even stainless-steel mesh, included in

his quotation. In addition, looking at the stonework, I do not believe

it was stabilised properly before the mortar repair. It would have

helped it to bond. He has a case to answer? Definitely. I also think

somebody has signed it off. Why did they approve the specification?

method of fixing the stonework was drawn up by Daniel Hussey and an

architect hired by the church she supervised the work. He said he was

happy with what he saw. The plans were approved by the Church in

Wales. If that was a mistake, it was an honest mistake and innocent.

It appeared to be a feasible option. To be fair, we did our best to

supervise the repairs. Making sure they were using the right materials

and doing as they were contracted to do. When Daniel Hussey's and

water started to crumble, Alun Brookfield started to chase him.

The builder said he would return to fix the flaky stare work, first in

the spring and then in the summer. -- stonework. But he wanted more

money and when he realised he was not getting it, he disappeared.

That is when Alun Brookfield called in X-Ray and we checked him out.

Daniel's firm Building Conservation UK was already being wound up, the

latest in a long line of companies he has run. Three firms still

operate, including a new one called Church Restoration UK Ltd. That

wasn't all we found because alongside his building was a very

different kind of job. Paranormal occult investigator. While Daniel

Hussey has been trying to fix churches, the same man has gone

under the name Magus Lynius Shadee, a witch. In fact, the builder based

he is the king of the witches. Press reports show that he has a

history of angering Christians. By announcing plans to open occult

shops. In 1989 he came to black wood. Over 1,000 banner-waving

Christians marched against his plans to bring a shop there. In

1991 he popped up in Aberystwyth, with occult read out on his mind

and he challenged churches saying if he could raise up the ghost,

they should give him �250,000. If he could not, he would not open a

shop there. In April this year he ignited controversy again with a

scheme to open another occult shop, this time in Bristol. How do you

feel about someone of his beliefs working on churches? There is an

apparent contradiction between being involved in the occult and

working on churches and that would probably make me ask hard questions

than I did ask because I took him at face value without being aware

of his beliefs. But regardless of his beliefs, all the Church wants

to see is the repairs put right so they can build a community centre.

The very disappointed. People would like me to say I was angry, I have

never been angry, but I am disappointed because so many people

put so many hopes in the project and there were so many

possibilities and suddenly we must set back a long way.

That is really sad and the congregation work so hard to get

the cash and they are back to square one. Daniel Hussey seems to

be in no rush to fix the problems. We tracked him to south London but

he is refusing to answer our questions. If you have problems he

would like us to look into, getting Remember to include your daytime

telephone number. We are also on Twitter.

Today, we are in beautiful Llandudno and there is a new site

on the promenade, cyclists. Cycles were banned in the 1870s when it

was built, but the council has agreed to allow them for a trial

period. There is no cycle track and cyclists mingle with pedestrians.

Not everybody is happy. You are from the Civic Trust, what is the

problem? It is safety. We have elderly people who are possibly

hard of hearing and young children who run around without seeing

things and I think there is an issue. Cycling and pedestrians do

not mix. You are from a cyclists Touring Club, what are members

think? You are in more danger in ten minutes on Marston Street than

you are likely to be on this national cycle route. They are not

a threat as suggested. Thank you for your views. I wonder what other

people in Llandudno think. It is a public safety issue if it is full

of people you cannot have cyclists. They never use them Bells. I would

have thought the promenade is wide enough to cope with cyclists. As

long as they are courteous and thoughtful. People like to stroll

along and if you have to be aware of cyclists, I would be against it.

It is nice driving along the promenade but you must use your

common sense, if it is too crowded. It is a beautiful promenade for

cyclists. Does it worry you that there are cyclists around? No.

long as they are not mad. Strong feelings in Llandudno, but what

about way you live? Should cyclists be welcomed in places like this, or

should they stick to the roads? Next, couples often dream of luxury

weddings on Caribbean beaches, but there can be pitfalls.

A wedding in paradise. Sunshine, beaches and romance make for the

dream wedding. That is what appeals to Tina and Adrian from Cardiff.

They married in the Dominican Republic in 20th October 10.

have been together ten years and had planned the wedding for a while

and we thought it would be lovely to go away. The family came, to

make it a holiday as well as a wedding. Can I see the photographs?

You look absolutely gorgeous. Tell me about the day? It was magical,

everything we could have dreamt of and more. The wedding co-ordinator

was fantastic. How everything was set, it was perfect. This looks

like where it was being made official, when you are signing?

was, the signing of the register. It looks a dream day. You went away

as this Morris and came back as Mrs Ford. We thought that would be the

case, but not, because we have not received our wedding certificate. I

am still miss Morris. It has been two years and October. The wedding

certificate has been lost. It has been frustrating. How has it

affected you? Lots of things. I cannot change my passport, my

driving licence, and I am technically not Mrs Ford. When you

get married it is part of the excitement, changing your name. It

is not as if we are a married The original marriage certificate

was drawn up in the Dominican Republic. But 4,000 miles away in

England, it was rejected because Tina's maiden name had been

misspelt. Tina and Adrian booked with Thompson and the wedding party

spent around �20,000. 20 months on, they still don't have the marriage

certificate. Helping to try and sort things out has been Tina's

aunt Rosemary. Has it been getting them down do you think? Yes. When

you're not getting anywhere, I mean, we've tried so hard. You've been

trying to help her, haven't you? Yes. What did you do? I've been

into Thompsons I don't know how many times. I've sent e-mails as

well in the last few weeks. I've spoken to Thompsons office. You get

the same story, you know, we're trying, we're doing our best, but

there's not a lot we can do. Tina and Adrian are getting increasingly

worried by the delays. They are legally married, but for many

things they need to prove it. So they need to get a copy of the

certificate sent from the Caribbean, not as seizey as it sounds. In

March the couple called in X-Ray. Thompson said they had a lawyer on

the case and the certificate should be with them by the end of the

month. At this point a member of the wedding support team told X-Ray

"We're thrilled we've managed to help Mr and Mrs Forward -- Ford

speed up the process of getting their certificate. Happy days. How

did you feel when they said finally it's on its way? I had the phone

call and yeah, I was over the moon, really excited. It just felt like

all of it, it would be an end of everything. We could go ahead now

and change our names. The children were excited as well. It has

affected them as well. # Stop, whoa yes, wait a minute Mr

Postman... # Tina waited for the postman, but

the certificate never came. assumed it would be a couple of

days and it would be with us. A couple of days went by and it still

wasn't, than a week and two. And you just feel deflated again.

months after the wedding, the marriage certificate finally flew

across the Atlantic from the doe minical republic, arriving --

Dominican Republic, arriving safely at Thompson HQ. It was on the final

leg to Cardiff that the certificate went AWOL. Tina and Adrian are back

to square one. Tina, this is where you live. Where was your

certificate delivered? Just down the road. No! Can you show me?

sure. It turns out that the certificate had been posted to the

wrong address. Just here it was delivered. In this block of flats.

So literally. Just 30 seconds where were you live. Yeah. Until a few

weeks ago these flats were boarded up. Nobody has seen the certificate.

What's it going to be like as you come to celebrate your second

anniversary? It's still the unknown, will we have our wedding

certificate? Will we be Mr and Mrs Ford? We just don't know. It's

taken this long, I'm just hoping it won't take another year to come.

you think you will get it? I hope so. I hope so, because it feels

otherwise as if all of it's, not been for nothing, but as if you

haven't got the end bit of the jigsaw in a way.

Such a frustrating situation. You've got to feel sorry for Tina

and Adrian. Now Thompson have apologised and say they're doing

everything they can to get another marriage certificate but still have

no idea how long that could take. Hopefully they won't have to wait

that long. Now last week we were down south in Blaenau Gwent where

the Council have handed out fines for littering at �75 each. Loads of

you have been in touch, Mike Rose is sick of litter around his area.

Well done he said. David says litter bugs should be offered the

choice of a fine or being made to pick up other people's litter.

Clive says that he knows of a man who was fined for dropping a

cigarette end from the top of a ladder. Which he thinks is a little

bit harsh. And one Council worker from Ebbw Vale, who didn't want to

be named, says the patrol should be out in the evening when people drop

takeaway wrappers. Lots of interesting stuff there. Plenty of

opinions. Next, Lucy's on the case. Beryl likes a gnater with friends

and family. But a freak storm last year cut her off. Her son Gavin was

forced to get in touch. Hi Lucy. My mother's had a terrible problem

with the telephone line for nine months. Hope you can sort something

out for her with BT. I'm on the case.

Last summer the Gwent valleys hit the headlines when a mini tornado

swept through its villages. As debris went flying something

knocked out Beryl's phone line. A number of properties have been

damaged following stormy weather. Roofs of several homes were exposed

after tiles were ripped off in both Crumlin and nearby Newbridge.

flats roof was blown off a building causing damage to neighbouring

properties. It landed on the road. It shot up the road there like a

train. Something out of a movie, unbelievable. Now in her 80s, the

phone is a life line for Gavin's mum Beryl. But it's been nine

months since the storm struck and she's been without a permanent land

line since. Do you remember the day that the storm and the tornado hit

here? Tell me what it was like. was terrific rain and blowing. I

think the full force came up the streets. I didn't even realise my

house had been damaged. How due feel then when you realised that

you were cut off? Well, I thought it wouldn't be any time before they

put it right. But, I truly thought wrong! It must have been a bit of a

worry for you when the phone line was down. Were you concerned?

was very difficult. We could only make contact by ringing a neighbour

and my wife would pop in each day from school and see if everything

was OK on the way home. I realise now how isolated I am. It's made me

almost more nervous, because I always felt very safe in this house.

Gavin bought Beryl a mobile phone. But it was difficult for her to use.

Then BT set up a temporary line, but any hint of bad weather would

leave it crackling terribly. So where is this telegraph pole that's

been causing the problems. That one just there is causing the problems.

The problem's been that they can't get permission to get onto Network

Rail property because it's on their property. They say they can't get a

reply from them to get permission for the line. That's why it's

taking all this line. What do you think of the way BT have handled

the situation. They say it will be repaired in four weeks. They come

and go, another four weeks and we're given another date. Nothing

happens then. It's been almost nine months. What would you like me to

try and do? Make BT repair the line or give us a new line. I'm on the

case. Well, this has been a tough one to

solve. We wrote to BT and Network Rail, who said that health and

safety rules mean that the telegraph pole couldn't be repaired

without the railway line being closed. BT said they'd be asking

for permission for months, but Network Rail claimed they'd heard

nothing. After we got in contact, a date was set. But we piled on the

pressure and BT sent another engineer round to Beryl's house and

he simply fixed the phone line up to a neighbouring property, there

and then. BT has apologised for the delay.

They've also paid out for Beryl's mobile phone and credited her

account with six months' line rental, that's �213.40 in total.

Excuse me. Is that Lucy? Hello, sounds like

your phone's working really well. I'm just ringing to thank you for

all your help. I very much appreciate the efforts you put in

on my behave. Thank you very much indeed. You're welcome. You take

care. Bye. And that's another case closed.

Great result. They got their Fonebak and a little bit of

compensation too. Good news for Beryl. If you'd like us to look

Beryl. If you'd like us to look into us, give us a call: Or e-mail

us too. Don't forget to include a daytime

phone number. All those contact details are on the website too.

Somebody you helped earlier this year has been back in touch with

another problem. Unfortunately this another problem. Unfortunately this

one wasn't so easy to solve. Wouldn't it be great to know every

time you flicked a switch in your home, the electricity you were

using was free. Thanks to a government backed schemes

households across the country are having free solar systems fitted by

Homesun. Free solar panels that give you free energy for your home

and could cut your electricity bill by a third. With great energy deals

on offer, houses like these ones are becoming a common site, but if

you don't have thousands of pounds to buy the panels outright, you can

rent your roof out instead. This way, a company will install the

panels for free, they'll get paid for the energy and you'll get free

electricity in the daytime. Sounds like a win/win situation. Right?

Colette Chilcott from Bridgend was featured on X-Ray before when she

had problems with a computer. Last year, Collet signed a lease with

Homesun limited. Weeks later, 16 solar panels were installed on her

roof. She was receiving free electricity during the day and was

happy with the deal. But at the same time she signed the lease, her

house was up for sale. So any buyers would have to take the lease

on. Would they be as keen to rent their roof out? I luckily had a

buyer last September. But we hit a few hitches, one being the solar

panels. What was the upshot? took us three to four weeks to get

the building regs certificate sorted. In the meantime by buyers'

buyers couldn't wait any longer and pulled out. Did the first buyers'

solicitors have concerns? They did. They asked questions about the

solar panels, especially the lease. Collet locked herself into a 25-

year lease with dozens of clauses. From now on she would need to ask

to carry out repairs on her roof. She had to make sure the flow of

sunlight to the panels wasn't obstructed. If she wanted to get

out of the lease early she would have to buy the panels outright. In

January, the house went back on the market at a reduced price. It

wasn't long before it sparked the interest of another house hunter.

Collet started to pack up her belongings ready for the move, but

once again, the solar panels had her buyers cooling off. I think

when her solicitor looked at the lease and everything, that's when

things started to go wrong. Then we found out that her lender weren't

happy with the lease. What did you have to do really to get her to

buy? Basically, what we have to do is buy the solar panels. It's the

only way that we can do it so that she can get rid of the lease.

much is that costing? It's going to cost just under �20,000 to do that.

Is that something that she's footing? No, we're sharing the cost.

How do you feel about that idea? I'm absolutely gutted by it. I

can't believe how little I'm getting for the house. When I first

put it on the market in March 2010 it was �285,000, now I'm down to

�173,000. But it's the only way I can move. Homesun say the buy-out

clause in their lease is designed to stop any problems during a house

sale and that 90% of mortgage lenders do accept their lease.

Since getting the panels installed, the value of Collet's house has

plummeted. Should home owners think twice before signing up to this

type of solar scheme? Chartered sur Tony Filice says it's better to

play it safe. I think every owner before they contemplate having

solar panels should have their -- do their home work. On taib three

estimates for the cost of insulation, with copies of the

lease terms. Once you have that information, to contact your

solicitor, to go through the lease terms and see if there are issues

or points of concern. How do you feel about the solar panels now

then and your decision to go for them? They were a fantastic

initiative, but I just wish I hadn't bothered. Because the lease

side of things, I just wish I hadn't bothered. I would have sold

last November if I hadn't had the panels. The good news is that the

sale has now gone through and Collet has moved house. But it's

been a very stressful, not to mention, expensive experience.

Another reminder to always check the small print especially if

you're signing up to one of those schemes. That's all we have time

for tonight. If there's anything you'd like us to look into, give us

a call or e-mail us. Next week we're back to our usual time of