Episode 14 X-Ray

Have you been ripped off or short-changed? We are here to fight

for your rights. Spotting the latest scams and making sure you make the

most of your money. ?1,000 a go, that's a lot of money for a small

business. Exposing the rouges and confronting the conmen. We are here

to help you fight back. In the countryside the internet is vital

for keeping in touch but one company is failing to provide a service.

It's proving somewhat frustrating to not have it for days on end in some

cases. Why are these families living on a Redrow estate too afraid to let

children out to play? And, colds, don't you just hate them? Does

vitamin C stop you from catching one? And do you have a favourite

cold remedy? We will find out what works and what doesn't. First

tonight, reliable fast broadband - it's something that those of who

live in towns and cities take for granted. But if you live in the

country it's a different story. In areas like rural Carmarthenshire a

lot of public money's being spent to improve broadband but customers

aren't seeing the benefits, as Rachel's been finding out Sending

emails, updating your social media profile, downloading the latest

chart hits, these days we all expect to be able to do it at the touch of

a button. That is unless you live here. Because this is just one of a

number of broadband not-spots - an area where you can't get the

broadband speeds needed to do even the simplest things online. Across

the country there are rural communities that can't get the

broadband speeds many of us now take for granted. Andy Ryan from

Rhydcymerau in Carmarthenshire may live in a stunning location but when

it comes to technology it has its drawbacks. No mobile phone signal,

no terrestrial TV so we have a problem of isolation. One of the

things that makes him feel even more isolated is the slow broadband. But

in 2012 Andy finally thought he'd found the answer to his problem. The

Welsh Government's Broadband Support Scheme. He could apply for a grant

of ?1,000 for new equipment which would allow him to connect to a fast

broadband service. It seemed ideal. But if you were successful you

wouldn't see the money personally. Instead it would go straight to the

company offering the service in your area. For Andy that was IT firm,

ResQnet in Crosshands. With a thousand customers across West Wales

this IT company seemed like it knew what it was doing and it was making

some pretty big claims, boasting on its website that its able to use

wireless broadband to deliver speeds of up to 100 megabits per second. In

the broadband world that's classed as superfast - quick enough to

download a full length feature film in HD in about five minutes. Andy

signed up and for ?24 a month he was finally getting the broadband speeds

he and his wife Jenny needed to keep in touch with their loved ones.

We've a daughter in Falkland, she's a teacher and she's been there now

for just over three years and most of the communication with her is

done by email and we do face-to-face with one of our children who lives

near Stroud. But this summer things suddenly started to slow down before

eventually coming to a standstill. You can't answer an e-mail when the

internet doesnt work and you go away and dig the garden or whatever and

then come back two or three hours later and it still doesn't work. And

you've been paying all this time, of course, even though youre not

getting the service? I have received, over the telephone, an

assurance that I will get a refund and that was about two weeks ago. I

haven't received any refund yet. Andy isnt the only ResQnet customer

who has been dragged back into a not-spot. Unable to get any useful

answers from the company they started taking to social media to

vent their frustration while some decided to take the problem all the

way to Cardiff Bay. I'm getting constituents contacting me telling

me they're not getting the provision. It collapsed at one point

during the summer and after that there were problems in terms of

providers. One constituent told me that she had a provision her parents

who lived next door had a provision. When they were on the service she

couldn't get the service. There are questions tonight over a

company that's received taxpayers' money. And as the problems made

national news the Welsh Government started to act, suspending any

further grants to the company until they could show they were sorting

things out. So with the powers that be now involved, surely ResQnet's

customers could relax, safe in the knowledge that their broadband would

soon be back up to speed. Not exactly. Many customers are still

having problems. And others, who'd like to join the scheme, are stuck

in limbo. Karen Ardouin from Llanwrda is trying to run an online

tutoring business and desperately needs faster broadband. She applied

to join the scheme back in August. They told me it would take a month

from beginning to end from the application that went into the Welsh

Government to the actual installation. In October Karen

finally heard she'd been approved, there was just one major catch, the

Government had suspended all funding to ResQNet. They said to me I was

free to go with another provider or I could pay myself to go with ResQ.

And I looked into other providers and it didn't take me long to

realise that there are no other providers for fast speed broadband

in this area. So the other option then was to pay yourself. Is that a

possibility? No, absolutely not. It's ?1,000 a go. You know that's a

lot of money. More than ?4 million of public money has been spent on

the Broadband Support Scheme with almost ?900,000 alone being handed

out to ResQnet. But what has the Government actually done to make

sure these firms who've received the cash are actually up to the job?

Absolutely nothing. They've told us it's up to the customer to make sure

the company they choose can deliver the service. I'm just amazed at how

they've dealt with this and during that time Ive been trying to run the

business with one hand tied behind my back really. And so far that

approach has left dozens of people, including Karen and Andy, off the

grid and out of pocket. Well, we asked the Welsh Government

to come and explain why ResQNet has received so much of our money. But

they refused to speak to us. They say they are now working with the

company - who won't be getting any more funding until the problems are

sorted. And ResQNet? Well, they did agree to talk to us but then changed

their minds. They've told us it was the rise in demand for fast

broadband from their customers that led to the problems Andy and his

wife experienced. But they will now be giving them a refund. But they

can't help Karen because the Welsh Gevernment has suspended their

funding. All a bit of a mess really. Still to come on tonight's

programme: car parking - have you felt the squeeze? Basically wherever

you stop the size of a car parking space is very small. We put Lucy's

parking to the test. Now it's that time of year - and if

you haven't already caught one chances are you are thinking about

how to avoid one. We're talking colds and there are plenty of them

about. But what's the best way to prevent them and deal with them? In

a moment we'll be putting people here in Caerphilly to the test, but

the man with all the answers is Professor Ron Eccles from the Common

Cold Centre. There are plenty of products out there and lots of

myths, as well. I think we're overwhelmed with products and

information and it's very difficult for people to make a choice when

coming to thinking about treating or preventing a cold. You're going to

be helping us to find out exactly what works and what doesn't. Hang on

to your hankies, it's time for my Great Cold Quiz! Vitamin C can help

prevent a cold - True or False? True. You think it's true? Why do

you think that? I don't know. Whenever I come down with a cold I

drink loads of orange juice and it tends to get rid of it. True. You

think that's true? Do you take vitamin C to prevent a cold? No,

because I eat fruit. You're meant to have orange juice, aren't you, when

you're ill and things like that. What about any vitamins that are

meant to stop you getting a cold. Zinc, isn't that good for you as

well? Do you eat onions, garlic. Do you think that'll do the trick.

Yeah, I eat a lot of garlic. So is the answer true or false, Professor

Eccles? The answer is false. Vitamin C will not prevent you from getting

a cold. There's a little bit of evidence that it may shorten the

duration or reduce the severity of symptoms. Similarly with Zinc. But,

in general, we get enough of these in our diets so you're probably

wasting your money supplementing your diets with vitamin c and

supplementing with zinc. Garlic and onions do have

anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal activity and

traditionally they are used to treat colds. Some clinical trials support

that, some do not. So I think they're worth a try, particularly if

you like a lot of garlic. Really good advice and there'll be more

from my great cold quiz later in the programme.

Before that, Rhod's been to a new development in Merthyr Tydfil where

home owners are worried about safety.

When Paul and Lucie Jones bought their brand new home just over a

year ago they thought it would be an ideal place to bring up their

three-year-old daughter, Millie. It's what we always wanted,

somewhere safe, nice big garden, quiet area and we just fell in love

with the place. They believed a stream shown running next to their

property on the developers plans would be an attractive feature. They

sort of emphasised that it would be a nice green area and that it would

be safe and that it would be fenced off and the quiet side of it where

Millie could go out and play and feel safe in the area really. But

the stream turned out to be a steep sided gully. And they were amazed to

see there was only a low rail on one side and no fence at all on the

other. Anybody, even an adult, could fall in and it would be pretty

difficult to get out to be honest with you. Paul and Lucie had

imagined that as she grew up little Millie would play outside on the

estate with her friends. We can't allow Millie to go out on her own,

not even to play on her bike purely because there is the potential to

fall into the culvert and it's the same with every other child, really.

Paul knows danger when he sees it, he's a firefighter. The stream may

look peaceful now but it's a different story when it rains

heavily. These are the photos that I have taken when the stream is in

full flood. It's powerful, isn't it, all that water? The depth of this

water, there has got to be about five foot. We have photos of two

lads leaning over the railings looking into the water. Gosh. And

that's the thing, at that age, they have no idea of the dangers. At that

age you are going to investidate and have a play. In their new home

opposite the gulley, Dai Samuel and his wife Becky are also worried as

they've just started a family. There's so many young children here

many of them newborns or toddlers so within two or three years, the

problem will be even bigger because there will be so many children round

the estate. And what confuses the residents even more is that Redrow

have built a fence around the stream at the other end of the estate.

Bizzare, it seems like there is one rule for one culvert and one for

another. Dai and Paul have been talking and writing to the site

developers - Redrow - for months demanding they make the stream safer

but with no success. They eventually got a letter saying this met all

planning, highway safety and flood prevention regulations and nothing

else was going to be done. I'm a doctor, Paul is a fireman. We see

the outcomes of these problems and these accidents every day in work,

so I think they were genuine concerns and you would think for

that anyone who was building these houses would also see that as a

genuine concern if they were living here as well, but that obviously

wasn't the case. So, fed up with the lack of action, Paul asked X-ray to

investigate. We contacted Redrow and spoke on the phone to their managing

director. And guess what? The day after we did that, contractors

arrived to put up a new fence around the stream. I honestly thought the

problem could have been solved with negotiation and goodwill from the

developer, but obviously not. I'm glad X-ray have got involved and

sorted the problem out. It's been a long process really. It's been three

of four months now of constant talking and letters just to get a

fence put up for peace of mind but great result and really pleased. But

shouldn't this fence have been built before any families moved into the

estate? We asked chartered surveyor Tim Davies to come and give us his

opinion. Places like this are a magnet for small children and the

developer owes a duty of care to the residents of the estate and a fence

like this should have been put up from day one.

Well, I've come to Redrow's HQ. Let's see what they've got to say

for themselves. Why didn't you put a fence around the stream when you

first built the estate? Well, quite honestly, it wasn't a requirement.

But to go back to first principles, we, as a developer, don't want to

introduce things that might be perceived as dangerous onto our

developments, and it was always our intention to pipe the watercourse

throughout the whole of the development. Unfortunately,

Environment Agency policy insists that as much of the water course

remains as open as possible. Which is why we've had the situation we've

had up until recently. Merthyr Council insisted that we kept it

open in order for them to adopt it and to get access to maintain that

area. It's obviously dangerous, did you not feel a duty of care towards

the families and the young children that are living right by that

stream? I think it's all down to perception and I think things have

changed. That piece of water course has been in situ for about 18 months

and we've not had any complaints. It's only very recently that two

residents have complained. Having said that, two complaints is two too

many, and I think at the time we should have taken the pragmatic

view, which is what we've done now, and fenced off the offending area.

What has changed, as you know, with the heavy rainfall recently, what

was a stream has become a torrent. You did fence the other end of the

stream, why not just fence them both? That was inherent in the

design and that was what was accepted by the council, with a need

to gain access to the top part. However, I am pleased to tell you

that following discussions yesterday Merthyr are more than willing to

adopt the stream now with the fence that we have put up there in place.

Thank you very much. Earlier we found out what works and what

doesn't when it comes to preventing a common cold. It's back to our

great cold quiz now to find out what works when it comes to getting

better. Question number two: An all in one remedy is the best way to

relieve symptoms? True or false? I would probably say false. Why false?

Well, all in one cold remedies are a lot of suingers in them, sugars in

them, I think. All you really need is paracetamol. You think it's true.

It's got everything in it. I would say true. Is that what you take? It

does the trick. Yeah. Let's get the answer from our expert Professor Ron

Eccles. He should know, what true or false? It's a bit of each. Most of

the multisymptom ones are a base of paracetamol and other ingredients.

They will work just as well and cheaply. They won't unblock the

nose? I would recommend a nasal spray, they're more effective than

tablets and will decongest your nose for up to ten hours. Our final

question: A nice hot toddy, hot water, lemon, honey, a bit of whisky

can make you feel better? True or false? True. True. Do you have a hot

toddy for a cold? Sometimes, yes. I think probably tea or something like

that is probably better for you. Would you all have a hot toddy if

you are feeling poorly? Yes. Let's get the definitive answer from our

expert. True. Why? Well, a hot drink is particularly beneficial because

it promotes salivation and mucus secretion. The tease That's why

honey and lemon are one of the more traditional drinks. We have tested

hot cordials, they're effective. A lot of people like to put whisky in

or other alcohol. Be careful when mixing it with tablets and also be

careful not to overdo it because alcohol will block up your nose

particularly at night time. Feed a cold, starve a fever is that true or

false? I would say true but probably the real meaning of the saying is

field a cold, to stave or prevent a favour. -- a fever. Thank you. Now

one of the great things about working on X-ray is the e-mails and

phone calls we get from you. One interesting question, are parking

spaces getting smaller? Now don't teller I said so but Lucy's parking

isn't the best. Who better to put parking spaces to the test? .

There was a time when car parks were the place to be, the perfect

location to show off your new automobile.

But things have definitely changed. Today they're more likely to be

places of frustration, as motorists fight to find an empty spot and

squeeze their car in without any bumps or scrapes.

One person who's noticed the change is Gwenda Raybould from Bridgend. I

have sat in my car sometimes watching other people getting in and

out of their cars and they do have difficulty the same as I do.

Basically, wherever you stop the size of a car parking space is very,

very small. Especially if you have parked where there's no one next to

you when you began, and then when you come back to the car there's

someone there and perhaps they've parked closer than normal. But why

has parking your car become such a palaver? Is it that we have become a

nation of bad drivers? Or are there other factors coming into play?

Motoring expert Tim Shallcross certainly thinks so. Hello, Tim.

Hello, Lucy. Wow! That car is fantastic. I can't afford a new

country. I have to say it looks a little bit

smaller than the cars we are used to seeing today. It is a lot smaller.

This was a racing saloon of 60 years ago. The modern equivalent is about

18 inches wider, about that much. That parking bay may have been

designed for cars of this era. Why are modern cars wider? We want all

the entertainment, the sat-nav and technology and all the safety

equipment that's put in, airbags all over the place. We tend to have the

engine in sideways as well. So they've grown a lot in width.

According to Gwenda it's while she's doing the weekly supermarket shop

that she really feels the squeeze. You are always conscious you might

hit the car next to you and so you are hanging on to the car door and

trying to twist your body to get out and it's not a comfortable

manoeuvre. Sometimes I will park over two spaces because I find it so

difficult to get out of the car. I am going to carry out a little

experiment of my own. Plenty of space here at this racetrack.

Our team have visited Gwenda's home town and found the supermarkets with

the largest and the smallest parking spaces. Tesco had the biggest space

measuring 99 inches by 181 inches. And the smallest space was at Aldi,

that was a whole ten inches slimmer and five inches shorter.

I am going to find out just how difficult it is to get into those

spaces in these three cars. First up, it's the smallest of the

bunch, the Skoda Fabbia measuring in at 6'2" wide. Surely it shouldn't be

too much of a squeeze to get in those spaces?

So that wasn't too bad. But they're both pretty tight and this is the

smallest car. Next up, it's the medium-sized car.

It's going to be a little bit tighter. I am very aware that I am

driving a slightly larger car now. I just managed to get into the Tesco

spot without any major incidents. Next, let's try the Aldi space. It's

only a foot wider than my car. This is definitely feeling much

harder than the other space, in fact, I am all over the place!

OK. I am in. No, I am not. I am over a cone.

Gosh! I am making a right hash of this.

Good job that bollard wasn't a car! And now it's time for my toughest

challenge so far. Already I am feeling that the size

of this car is going to be tricky for me.

At 87 inches wide and 185 inches long, this estate car may seem like

a beast, but it's actually pretty normal when it comes to today's car

market. No, all out of line there.

That was difficult enough. Now it's time for an even tighter space.

I am aware of the size of this car and I'm about to bump into my first

bollard. I am going to have another go and I

need to swing around more to the passenger side. There's hardly any

room for negotiation on either side. It's literally... See the parking

sensors are going off. This one might take a while. While I

am trying to straighten up, let's find out what Tim's top tips are for

problem-free parking. Reversing into the parking space which is certainly

by far the best way because the bit with the steering wheels at the

front is the bit that moves sideways as you are negotiating your way into

the space, takes a bit of practice but once do you it, it's a much

easier way of parking. And Tim reckons that reversing could even

save you money. Cold engine, particularly a petrol engine,

they're gulping fuel. A hot engine is sipping it. If you do that

manoeuvring with the engine hot by reversing into the parking bay, you

will use hardly any fuel. If you do that every day to work and back and

maybe Saturday and Sunday, that will amount to something like a litre a

week of petrol that you could save and at today's prices you are

talking 60 or ?70 over a year. Great advice there. In the meantime, I

have been struggling. It's no good.

I give up! I think this is going to have to do.

No wonder our cars's always at the garage! Aldi say in their new stores

parking spaces are all a standard measurement. But the spaces are

smaller in the Bridgend store as the site was bought off another

supermarket in 2006. Tesco say they always aim to provide larger than

average spaces. Let us know how the parking is in your area. That's it

for this week. Next week we join trading standards

as they clamp down on the sale of illegal cigarettes. Yes, they're

cheap but you don't know what's inside. If you need our help, pick

up the phone now. Lines are open: Or put your details in an e-mail:

Remember, we are here to help you. See you next week. Bye.