:00:22. > :00:26.Hello and welcome to That's Britain, the show that gets to grips with
:00:26. > :00:29.all the daily irritations of modern life. We will get to the bottom of
:00:29. > :00:33.whatever is winding you up and try to make Britain a better place, or
:00:33. > :00:39.at least turn some of those premises into grins. On That's
:00:39. > :00:44.Britain tonight, May looks at overcrowded trains and the high
:00:44. > :00:48.ticket prices we pay. Lastly, you told us dog poo was a problem -
:00:48. > :00:53.tonight, the Bin Cops on the case. Stan Lee Johnson celebrates human
:00:53. > :00:57.kindness with a hidden camera shopping stinger. And Ade Edmondson
:00:57. > :01:07.goes behind the scenes of the National Grid to see how power gets
:01:07. > :01:08.
:01:08. > :01:16.to the people. Joining us is are talented team of supporters.
:01:16. > :01:19.Grainne Seoige, Stanley, Stephen K Amos and Stanley. Good looking
:01:19. > :01:23.bunch. Stephen has been up at the crack of dawn for That's Britain to
:01:23. > :01:28.persuade us to save the endangered species that is the British milkman.
:01:28. > :01:30.But can he convince you to pay more for your daily pint to put an old
:01:30. > :01:37.men or women are back on your street? Most importantly, we want
:01:37. > :01:41.to hear from you. On this show, your words count, because this is
:01:41. > :01:46.your word wall. It often feels like you are talking to a wall, but on
:01:46. > :01:51.That's Britain, the wall talks Back. Tell us what is driving you around
:01:51. > :01:55.the bend, and our magic wall takes your words and turns them into a BT.
:01:55. > :02:00.If a word is big, it means a lot of you are complaining about it.
:02:00. > :02:05.want to know what is annoying you - mobile ringtones, cold calls, get
:02:05. > :02:11.it off your chest and on to our wall. At the end of last week's
:02:11. > :02:18.show, this is what you were irritated by. Tube drivers, litter,
:02:18. > :02:22.Bob Prew. The opera was massive. Not a massive one, obviously -- dog
:02:22. > :02:29.poo was massive. Public-transport. Grainne Seoige will be tapping
:02:29. > :02:33.trains in a bit. This week, over the past seven days, over 4000 of
:02:33. > :02:41.you have been e-mailing us. Let's look at your moans and groans right
:02:41. > :02:49.now. Not a huge surprise about petrol prices. Osborne has frozen
:02:49. > :02:53.fuel duty this week. 60% of the price of your petrol is it in fact
:02:53. > :03:01.on tax. Increasingly, it is becoming more expensive to own and
:03:01. > :03:06.run a car, �3,000 a year. What surprises me is what is not on the
:03:06. > :03:11.wall. It has been a day of public sector service strikes, and it does
:03:11. > :03:16.not even make the wall. Why? Maybe people have not got home because of
:03:16. > :03:20.the strikes. But weirdly, wind turbines have made the wall. You
:03:20. > :03:26.are complaining about the fuel prices, but you do not like the
:03:26. > :03:32.alternatives. And who is upset by wind chimes? I do not like them.
:03:32. > :03:36.You don't have to write in about it. And stolen horses. I do not know
:03:36. > :03:42.what is going on there. Enlighten us about what is going on with
:03:42. > :03:52.stolen horses. We will be updating the wall later, so keep those e-
:03:52. > :03:53.
:03:53. > :03:58.Remember to put the thing that is getting on your wick in the title
:03:58. > :04:05.of the e-mail. And tell us about it in the body of the e-mail. And no
:04:05. > :04:10.people's names, please. Somebody did just put "my wife" last week!
:04:10. > :04:14.You can join in with everything we are talking about by tweeting us.
:04:14. > :04:18.Or going to our Facebook page. As the country that invented the
:04:18. > :04:22.railway, you might think we would be good at it. But some who
:04:22. > :04:25.travelled regularly on the Great British Railway will tell you that
:04:25. > :04:29.sardines have an easier time of it. With British Rail fares among the
:04:29. > :04:38.highest in the world and set to increase by 6.2%, Grainne Seoige
:04:38. > :04:42.travelled cattle class to find out if anything can be done about it.
:04:42. > :04:49.No one usually gets seats. It is always crammed. People fight for
:04:49. > :04:53.seats. It becomes carnage. I never get a seat. There is nothing to
:04:53. > :04:57.hold on to. People have to grab hold of strangers and say sorry.
:04:57. > :05:02.Our British National Rail network was the first in the world, and
:05:02. > :05:07.they used to say "let the train take the strain". But now commuters
:05:07. > :05:10.are taking the strain. Passenger numbers are up 40% on ten years ago,
:05:10. > :05:14.and ticket prices are among the highest in the world. To many of
:05:14. > :05:20.these people, commuting by train is their only option, not a luxury. It
:05:20. > :05:24.is the only way to get from A to B. So they stand cheek by jowl on
:05:24. > :05:31.overcrowded routes. And the busiest areas on the network outside London
:05:31. > :05:34.are commuter lines into and Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.
:05:34. > :05:39.Passengers on the Hosford to Leeds route know this story well.
:05:39. > :05:43.Commuters regularly stand on half of the rush-hour trains into Leeds.
:05:43. > :05:49.Richard Gregory has been travelling this route for ten years, but now
:05:49. > :05:53.he has kids, it is not just him that is affected. Sometimes I can't
:05:53. > :05:59.physically get on the train because it is so full. If I can't get on
:05:59. > :06:04.the train, I can't pick my kids up in time and then I have a problem.
:06:04. > :06:11.The effect of not being able to get on a train is huge. Another
:06:11. > :06:15.passenger who is up against it in the North is Cassie. There is no
:06:15. > :06:20.real ventilation in the carriages. It gets really hot and airless. A
:06:20. > :06:25.lot of the time in the mornings, you feel faint. I have seen other
:06:25. > :06:30.women faint as well, which is why I complained to the train company. I
:06:30. > :06:34.thought it was unsafe. Cassie complained to the company via a
:06:34. > :06:38.transport pressure group, but they did not respond. As she pays �130 a
:06:38. > :06:43.month for her ticket, she is not impressed. Everyone on this train
:06:43. > :06:46.pays at least �130 if they are getting a season ticket. If you
:06:46. > :06:52.multiply that by the number of people on the train, it is a lot of
:06:52. > :06:56.money. Money is what they care about. Across the board, a lot of
:06:57. > :07:01.money is being made by our rail companies. Last year, operating
:07:01. > :07:08.profits were an eye-watering �200 million. Plus this January, ticket
:07:08. > :07:13.prices are going up by up to 6.2%. A recent YouGov poll found that the
:07:13. > :07:16.planned fare hikes for 2012 were the most unpopular policy
:07:16. > :07:21.announcement from the government's combines a spending review, opposed
:07:21. > :07:25.by eight out of ten people. And what you get for your ticket as is
:07:25. > :07:30.a space on a train, not a seat. Unlike buses or planes, there are
:07:30. > :07:34.no legal limits on how much space you are given. In fact, livestock
:07:34. > :07:39.are more regulated. All livestock transportation must meet EU rules.
:07:39. > :07:48.These cover how much space cattle, sheep and pigs would get on a train.
:07:48. > :07:54.Sadly, there is nothing for humans. I did not realise that. Shocking.
:07:54. > :07:58.It does not seem fair. That is wrong. It is an animal! OK, so
:07:58. > :08:07.there is no legal limit. But surely the train operators should take
:08:07. > :08:11.responsibility? Or can't they just add more carriages to a train?
:08:11. > :08:15.Christian while Ma is Britain's leading transport commentator.
:08:15. > :08:19.cost the industry is so fragmented, it is difficult for the train
:08:19. > :08:22.operating company just to get some extra carriages. They need
:08:22. > :08:26.permission from the Government and they have to pay the money. They
:08:26. > :08:30.probably need more subsidy. It is not just a matter of buying a few
:08:30. > :08:34.more carriages. Essentially, it is likely to cost extra money to put
:08:34. > :08:39.on these carriages on these overcrowded trains. So it is really
:08:39. > :08:43.down to the Government to put up the funds. We asked a river trains
:08:43. > :08:47.Wales and Northern trains for an interview, but they declined, as
:08:47. > :08:50.did the national body representing the rail industry, the Association
:08:50. > :08:55.of Train Operating Companies. So I am going to see the Minister for
:08:55. > :09:02.the railways to see what she has to say about jammed trains and sky-
:09:02. > :09:05.high prices. We have met some very unhappy people and put up with
:09:05. > :09:08.serious overcrowding. The first thing we were amazed to learn was
:09:08. > :09:13.that there is no limit on the amount of people you can pack onto
:09:13. > :09:19.trains. Trains are designed to be safe, whatever levels of crowding
:09:19. > :09:24.are taking place. We were speaking to various passengers, and one told
:09:24. > :09:28.us a train was so packed that people faint. We have plans for
:09:29. > :09:32.around 2700 new carriages on the railways over the coming years to
:09:32. > :09:36.respond to people's concerns, including into our cities in the
:09:36. > :09:40.north, like Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle. But when Theresa
:09:40. > :09:43.Villiers was on the opposition benches, she challenged the then
:09:43. > :09:47.Labour government about rail passengers travelling in worse
:09:47. > :09:52.conditions than livestock. What about the fact that you have said
:09:52. > :09:56.yourself that livestock get treated better than people? It is essential
:09:56. > :10:01.that we get a grip on crowding. That is why we are undertaking the
:10:01. > :10:05.biggest programme of rare capacity expansion since the Victorian era.
:10:05. > :10:10.But when you consider that a sheep or a cow or a goat gets treated
:10:10. > :10:13.better on a train than a person...? You are pushing at an open door. I
:10:13. > :10:18.understand the problems. The government is determined to do
:10:18. > :10:21.something. People pay a lot of money to travel on these trains.
:10:22. > :10:27.There is a commitment that those train fares will increase for the
:10:27. > :10:32.next few years. The fares are a vitally important way to fund our
:10:32. > :10:35.railways and fund improvements that are needed. It seems that no one is
:10:35. > :10:39.happy with the current state of affairs, so what can train
:10:39. > :10:43.passengers do to make sure these promises are delivered? Rail
:10:43. > :10:48.passengers have to get themselves organised. They have to form
:10:48. > :10:53.commuter groups, complain and badger their MP. Badger Ministers.
:10:53. > :10:58.Then something might get done. It is a matter of putting pressure run.
:10:58. > :11:03.There is a lot to talk about after watching that. How much of a
:11:03. > :11:07.squeeze was it? The it depends on the amount of pigs. They get a
:11:07. > :11:11.fairer deal than we do. I had to stand from Horsforth to Leeds.
:11:11. > :11:14.There were no seats. We were packed into the corners of the train, but
:11:14. > :11:20.it was not as uncomfortable as other people's experiences. I was
:11:20. > :11:24.not gasping for air. But I had no seat. Richard Gregory, one of the
:11:24. > :11:27.passengers, has a bad day regularly, because he cannot get onto the
:11:27. > :11:32.train because of overcrowding, which affects his life because of
:11:32. > :11:36.childcare issues. What in Northern trains say about that? As you say,
:11:36. > :11:40.Richard has a genuine complaint. Northern rail said, we have worked
:11:40. > :11:43.hard with industry partners to provide more trains to meet rising
:11:43. > :11:47.demand. The latest additions will be in service from December.
:11:47. > :11:51.Additional carriages will provide more seats in the Leeds area. So
:11:52. > :11:58.hopefully hundreds of parents will get their kids on time. What about
:11:58. > :12:04.Cassie, who had a complaint about the Welsh train company? She did
:12:04. > :12:08.not complain directly to them. She complained after a pressure group
:12:08. > :12:15.online, petitioning. So they told her and asked that "we don't accept
:12:15. > :12:19.complaints from third parties". She should contact them directly.
:12:19. > :12:22.do they say are on the general point about passengers fainting?
:12:22. > :12:27.They say regarding fainting allegations that there is no direct
:12:27. > :12:31.link between feinting and train overcrowding. Passengers should
:12:31. > :12:35.seek trained staff help. We heard from the minister Theresa Villiers
:12:35. > :12:41.as well. The government are feeling the heat about this, and George
:12:41. > :12:45.Osborne has capped the train price increase at 6.2%. But that is still
:12:45. > :12:49.above inflation and people are still making complaints. It was
:12:49. > :12:55.meant to be inflation plus 3%, and now it is inflation plus 1%, which
:12:55. > :13:00.is good news for passengers. But in the context of overcrowding, they
:13:00. > :13:05.are very high prices anyway. And people are enduring pay freezes or
:13:05. > :13:09.pay cuts, so it is still tough. What do operating companies make of
:13:09. > :13:13.it? They said the average rise in regulated fares, including season
:13:13. > :13:16.tickets, is set by the Government and nothing to do with them. The
:13:16. > :13:22.money raised through fares helps pay for more carriages to deal with
:13:22. > :13:32.the overcrowding. But those carriages will not be here tomorrow.
:13:32. > :13:36.
:13:36. > :13:39.2019. Rolling stock is the big deal. It is just not simple. But there is
:13:39. > :13:44.a glimmer of hope for people in London. There will be 48 more
:13:44. > :13:48.carriages in and out of London in time for the Olympics. If you are
:13:48. > :13:52.not a happy camper today, what is the best way to complain? They all
:13:52. > :13:56.respond in such different ways. People should definitely club
:13:56. > :14:00.together. If there are enough unhappy people, pressure does win
:14:00. > :14:04.out. But if you want your complaint answered by the train company, you
:14:04. > :14:09.must contact them directly, otherwise you will have what
:14:09. > :14:19.happened here. What are you doing next week? Hospital parking charges,
:14:19. > :14:25.
:14:25. > :14:30.APPLAUSE That's Britain has been trying to
:14:30. > :14:38.bring back people who were once the cornerstones of communities. Last
:14:38. > :14:42.week a massive 81% of viewers voted said they would pay back higher bus
:14:42. > :14:47.fares to bring back the conductor. Can Stephen K Amos persuade you
:14:47. > :14:53.that we should pay more for our cow juice to bring the milkman book to
:14:53. > :15:02.our doorsteps? Breakfast, the most important meal
:15:02. > :15:07.of the day. Got my croissants, coffee, cereal. Oh, no! I have run
:15:07. > :15:11.out of milk! Where am I going to get milk at this time of the
:15:11. > :15:16.morning? The local supermarket? The petrol station?
:15:16. > :15:21.Oh, hang on, I think I know just the man.
:15:21. > :15:26.Before the supermarket shop there was the milkman. By the 1960s he
:15:26. > :15:31.had swapped his horse and cart for the electric float. In the 1970s
:15:31. > :15:35.nine out of ten of us had milk delivered. By 2000 that had dropped
:15:35. > :15:39.to one in four. In the last ten years almost two out of three milk
:15:39. > :15:43.rounds have trickled away. These days we are always carping on about
:15:43. > :15:48.convenience. But what can be more convenient than having a pint of
:15:48. > :15:53.milk brought to you first thing in the morning, delivered by a
:15:53. > :15:58.friendly face, the pillar of the local community and not just the
:15:58. > :16:03.Butt of horrible cheap jokes. Milkman are not the punchline to
:16:03. > :16:06.the question who is your real dad? It's 5.00am, I have to go and join
:16:06. > :16:11.Graham. He has been working for three hours already. I am a bit
:16:11. > :16:16.slack. Come on. Graham is one of Britain's 4,000
:16:16. > :16:22.remaining milkmen and he has been getting up early for 24 years. So,
:16:22. > :16:26.who who pwrb pwrb better to help me in my mission to motivate Britain
:16:26. > :16:33.and persuade them he is a tradition worth keeping. This is number one.
:16:33. > :16:40.There we go. So, that's my first delivery. How
:16:40. > :16:44.hard can it be?! Did you remember the empties, Stephen?
:16:44. > :16:49.It's not all about the milk these days. Graham's diversified. Next
:16:49. > :16:54.one is cat food. Cat food? I remember a milkman just delivered
:16:54. > :17:00.milk. Cat food! A long time ago. And it's about going the extra mile
:17:01. > :17:06.for your customers, whatever the weather. There's other deliveries
:17:06. > :17:09.can't get here, but Graham always does. The milk is is there in the
:17:09. > :17:14.morning. You can't always get out and do the shopping and that, and
:17:14. > :17:17.he fills that gap. So, clearly Graham's customers are willing and
:17:17. > :17:23.able to pay for his services, but what about the neighbours who
:17:23. > :17:29.aren't on a milk round? How do they feel about getting a pint delivered
:17:29. > :17:34.daily. I am going to find out even if it curdles me.
:17:34. > :17:38.Good morning! We stopped the delivery because when I was working
:17:38. > :17:43.full-time the milk used to stand on the doorstep all day. Would you
:17:43. > :17:52.reconsider being a new customer? would possibly consider it, yes.
:17:52. > :17:57.That's only a maybe. Having your milk delivered with cost anything
:17:57. > :18:01.between 30p extra per pint. Is it the money? Is it a cost element for
:18:01. > :18:06.you? I guess, obviously you do pay extra. I just don't think about it
:18:06. > :18:10.because when I do my shopping it's so easy to pop and get it. I would
:18:11. > :18:15.like to ask more people, but where is everyone? Maybe there's a clue
:18:15. > :18:20.here. The milk didn't get delivered until after we had gone to work.
:18:21. > :18:27.see. Then it would sit on the doorstep all day. Will anyone join
:18:27. > :18:32.me?! Never see them any more, do you? Graham should knock on my door
:18:32. > :18:36.and I will definitely sign him up as my milkman. Finally, I found
:18:36. > :18:40.one! It's been a long day. There's still a lot of love out there for
:18:40. > :18:50.the idea of a milkman. I just wish more of us realised he's got the
:18:50. > :18:54.white stuff. Graham, baby, how fast does this thing go! They call him
:18:54. > :18:58.Stephen, Stevie, he drove the fastest milk cart in the west!
:18:58. > :19:04.APPLAUSE. And straight from his round Stephen
:19:04. > :19:08.is here. Now, somebody told me you got up at 3.00am to do that. Yes, a
:19:08. > :19:13.standup comic, I never ever got up in the morning. You are normally
:19:13. > :19:16.coming in. After a show, yeah. But Graham, he was such a jolly milkman.
:19:16. > :19:22.A quarter of a century he's been getting up early. How early does he
:19:22. > :19:32.get up? 1.00am. To do his round. years. Did you enjoy the process?
:19:32. > :19:32.
:19:33. > :19:37.No! My eyes were red. I was like I can't see! I have respect for
:19:37. > :19:42.milkmen, postmen, those guys that get up early to deliver a service.
:19:42. > :19:46.Isn't the point that we have outgrown the milkman, we don't need
:19:46. > :19:51.them any more? I think we do. Think back to school and we got that
:19:51. > :19:56.bottle of milk, that set you up for the day. You see the friendly
:19:56. > :20:00.milkman driving past. My mum used to love leaving him notes, I love
:20:00. > :20:04.you! Or something. They are just pillars of the community. We have
:20:04. > :20:08.24-hour shops now, you pick up milk on the way home at the garage.
:20:08. > :20:12.There's other ways to get milk. Because we have moved on, I mean
:20:12. > :20:19.look how many of our high streets look the same. All these big
:20:19. > :20:23.supermarkets they've lost - they've taken over. The independent grocers,
:20:23. > :20:31.the milk, butchers, Bakers, the candle-stick makers, they're all
:20:31. > :20:36.going out of business. You are grasping at straw. Supermarkets
:20:36. > :20:39.deliver now. All these supermarkets, they don't get that personal touch.
:20:39. > :20:43.How often have you ordered from the supermarket and they get it wrong?
:20:43. > :20:46.You can guarantee the milkman is not going to go, I haven't the milk
:20:46. > :20:51.but here is a pork pie. That's not going to happen. Here is the key
:20:51. > :20:55.question, is it better for the milkman - better for the dairy
:20:55. > :20:58.producers if you use a milkman? People don't realise is that the
:20:58. > :21:03.dairy producers, the farmers, they don't sell direct to the
:21:03. > :21:07.supermarkets. There's a middleman. Therefore, the supermarket which
:21:07. > :21:12.buys in bulk control the pricing. If we really want to help our local
:21:12. > :21:16.communities and the local producers and pay extra then who knows, maybe
:21:16. > :21:19.our high streets can go back to the way they were. I have to say, you
:21:19. > :21:23.presented a very good argument given you don't ever want to do
:21:23. > :21:28.that that kind of job again. Let's see what the public think. Stephen
:21:28. > :21:33.K Amos, thank you very much. APPLAUSE.
:21:33. > :21:36.There you go. So, Stephen says bringing back the milkmen would get
:21:36. > :21:41.back a sense of community and it's better for the environment and
:21:41. > :21:51.farmers. Tonight we are asking you this: Would you pay an extra 25p pb
:21:51. > :21:59.
:21:59. > :22:09.a -- on a pint of milk to have it Lines will be closed at about
:22:09. > :22:10.
:22:10. > :22:14.For full terms and conditions you can go to our website.
:22:14. > :22:18.We will bring you the result later on. Will the milkman come back?
:22:18. > :22:22.Time for the section of the show about stories from around the
:22:23. > :22:26.country that might make you growl. This is the bit we call Don't Get
:22:26. > :22:31.Me Started. Lots of you mentioned wind turbines earlier. Those who
:22:31. > :22:35.aren't fans of windmills decorating parts of Britain will enjoy this. A
:22:36. > :22:39.report revealed that wind farms are being switched off, or turned down
:22:39. > :22:43.because they're too noisy for local residents. It sounds reasonable,
:22:43. > :22:46.except when you realise that the turbines are usually only that
:22:47. > :22:50.noisy when it's very windy. It seems that there were lots of noise
:22:50. > :22:53.complaints made about wind farms in the last few years. One farm in
:22:53. > :22:56.Yorkshire was served with a noise abatement order. If you are
:22:56. > :22:59.thinking of getting your own private wind farm in your backward
:23:00. > :23:03.remember, switch it off when it gets windy. LAUGHTER. The next
:23:03. > :23:06.story that might get you started was this, Derbyshire County Council
:23:06. > :23:11.are having problems with their electronic bus stop signs T seems
:23:11. > :23:15.they ordered 43 of the signs to tell passiers how long they'll wait
:23:15. > :23:18.for the next bus would be. they're looking to use them to find
:23:18. > :23:21.out, they may have to wait a while because none of them work. Not one.
:23:21. > :23:26.The council did put up eight of them and they're still in place,
:23:26. > :23:34.but they still don't work. And how much did this set Derbyshire
:23:34. > :23:37.council taxpayers back? The cost was a grand total of �340,000 of
:23:37. > :23:41.which �65,000 came from Derby County Council. A spokesman for the
:23:41. > :23:45.council told us we made a mistake. We shouldn't have spent the money
:23:45. > :23:49.on these signs. Lots of things went wrong when we bought this equipment
:23:49. > :23:52.in 2006, including technical problems and the fact that the bus
:23:52. > :23:58.operators were unwilling to use the system. They say they will learn
:23:58. > :24:02.from this. Next a story that got Michael Car from Lanarkshire
:24:02. > :24:07.started along with many in his areas. He contacted us to say I was
:24:07. > :24:13.greatly amused by your piece on public money and I gave you neon
:24:13. > :24:21.waves, I don't know one person who says they like or agree with it. It
:24:21. > :24:25.may sound nice, the waves are 76 sheets of metal lining the side of
:24:25. > :24:30.the A8011. But they're not just sheets of metal. Oh, no! They light
:24:30. > :24:35.up at night. The council describe this as a flowing wave-like effect
:24:35. > :24:39.to passing traffic. It makes sense when you realise that it means the
:24:39. > :24:46.meeting of the waters. They do like nicer at night, but it hasn't
:24:46. > :24:50.impressed Michael and some of his fellow residents. How much do you
:24:50. > :25:00.think a flowing wave-like effect goes for these days? I put it to
:25:00. > :25:01.
:25:01. > :25:06.our lovely... Did they get it free from metal thieves? �15.99. They
:25:06. > :25:11.cost �320,000. The council confirmed that the wave feature
:25:11. > :25:14.cost around �320,000 as part of a wider rode scheme to improve
:25:14. > :25:18.approaches to the town. A public consultation was undertaken before
:25:18. > :25:20.the work and there was general approval. Finally, Warwickshire
:25:20. > :25:26.County Council have been complaining to us and we think
:25:26. > :25:29.they've a point. Last week we said they spent �100,000 of council
:25:29. > :25:35.taxpayers' money on art for the park. They pointed out the money
:25:35. > :25:38.came from a central Government fund, to be spent on public art. They
:25:38. > :25:43.just choose the winning design. Apologies and happy to clear that
:25:43. > :25:47.up. If there cess ago got -- there's something that has got you
:25:47. > :25:52.started, let us know and tell us. Let's see how you have changed the
:25:52. > :25:57.wall so far. There it is. Let's take a look.
:25:57. > :26:03.Petrol prices in the middle. Turbines we already mentioned. What
:26:03. > :26:08.else have people been telling us? Speed bumps. Politicians. There you
:26:08. > :26:15.go. Isn't that funny, mentioned it at the beginning and strikes bang
:26:15. > :26:21.in the middle. We still have energy prices and petrol prices. Horse poo
:26:21. > :26:29.has made an appearance on the wall. Bankers have turned up. There you
:26:29. > :26:33.go. Somewhere in there human rights. That's strange. What e-mails?
:26:33. > :26:36.Petrol prices are making life impossible for people in rural
:26:36. > :26:46.areas, that's where you are really stuck where there aren't
:26:46. > :26:53.necessarily buses available. Another says about wind turbines,
:26:53. > :26:57.there is not an alternative energy. Horse theft is a massive problem,
:26:57. > :27:05.horses are stolen and little help from the police. It's heartbreaking.
:27:05. > :27:12.We might look into that. Still to come tonight: The bin cops oren dog
:27:12. > :27:19.poo parol. We fine out where in Britain has the worst roadworks.
:27:19. > :27:22.meet the hidden hero whose biggest enemy is the traffic jam.
:27:22. > :27:25.Ade Edmondson has amazing behind the scenes access to the whole
:27:25. > :27:28.country and he has been observing how the systems we take for granted
:27:28. > :27:33.actually work. I can't help but notice that you
:27:33. > :27:38.are brandishing a new weapon there. I have a new akoutment. How did
:27:38. > :27:42.that come into being? A tragic DIY accident. Not tragic because you
:27:42. > :27:45.are still here. I was trying to remove a shelf from the wall and
:27:45. > :27:50.didn't have the right tools and decided I would jump up and down on
:27:50. > :27:56.it. It is a very effective method, but worked quicker than I imagined.
:27:56. > :27:59.Do you do a lot of DIY? Not now. You didn't have this last week.
:27:59. > :28:02.I didn't. I was stupidly bravely carrying on with it last week and
:28:02. > :28:06.it's been the wrong thing. Apparently, I should take seven
:28:06. > :28:10.days off. We can't afford that! Where have you been this week?
:28:10. > :28:13.like a cup of tea, don't you. a cup of tea. Have you ever
:28:13. > :28:21.wondered when you switch the kettle on where the electricity comes
:28:22. > :28:24.from? They go into the kettle, whizz around, stop me if I am being
:28:24. > :28:32.too technical. I have been to find out how electricity is made and how
:28:32. > :28:37.it gets to your kettle. Fascinating. You can't see it, you can't smell
:28:37. > :28:42.it, and if you touch it it really, really hurts. But it's essential to
:28:42. > :28:46.everyday life. I am going to follow electricity's incredible journey
:28:46. > :28:51.from power station to plug. Hopefully, there won't be too many
:28:51. > :28:56.shocks along the way. 74% of our electricity comes from power
:28:56. > :29:00.stations burning gas and coal. And that's why I have come here, Didcot
:29:00. > :29:04.power station is one of 108 power stations feeding to the National
:29:04. > :29:07.Grid and I am going to find out exactly how it works.
:29:07. > :29:12.Look, I have stumbled upon a set of a James Bond film! They're probably
:29:12. > :29:15.about to send rockets to Moscow and London and Paris and New York any
:29:15. > :29:19.minute now. I better check it out. This is the plant's control room
:29:19. > :29:29.and it's no wonder it looks like the lair of a bond baddy. Some of
:29:29. > :29:29.
:29:30. > :29:33.this kit has been here since the From here, they monitor the power
:29:33. > :29:37.station around the clock. How many cups of tea would you say this
:29:37. > :29:41.generator is capable of making? Over the last five years, we have
:29:41. > :29:47.produced enough cups of tea for about a trillion people. Any chance
:29:47. > :29:53.of a cuppa now? Yes. To make that many cups of tea, they need a lot
:29:53. > :29:56.of coal. This is what 1 million and a half tons of coal looks like.
:29:56. > :30:01.Didcot power station gets through this amount every 50 days. The
:30:01. > :30:04.Colley's brought to the top of this building and drops down the shoots
:30:04. > :30:14.into these blunders and ground into a fine dust and fired into a
:30:14. > :30:19.furnace. Then it burns quickly. N that VAT, you have the boilers. And
:30:19. > :30:22.there - my they are providing steam which powers the turbines, which
:30:22. > :30:30.power the magnets inside the generator and electricity goes that
:30:30. > :30:34.way. That is one theory. The other theory is that it is magic. But
:30:34. > :30:38.electricity has a floor, because once it has been created, you can't
:30:38. > :30:42.storage. It has to be used instantly. This means that someone
:30:42. > :30:49.has to make sure exactly the right amount of power is in the system at
:30:49. > :30:55.any time to satisfy demand. The man tasked with this job is Simon, a
:30:55. > :30:59.national balancing engineer here at the National Grid Control Centre.
:30:59. > :31:03.Simon watches his screen like a hawk. He can see every major power
:31:03. > :31:08.connection across the National Grid mapped out in front of him. I have
:31:08. > :31:12.arrived at the most critical point in his week, when huge surges in
:31:12. > :31:16.demand can cause mass blackouts. EastEnders is about to end, and
:31:16. > :31:20.there is going to be a big spike. They could get into trouble. As
:31:20. > :31:24.soon as the end credits roll on EastEnders, up to 1.5 million
:31:24. > :31:30.kettles are switched on, causing a massive surge in demand. It is what
:31:30. > :31:34.is known as a TV pick-up, something unique to our tea-drinking nation.
:31:34. > :31:37.Simon has to keep the indicator at 50 herds. If levels drop
:31:37. > :31:44.dangerously, he can switch on Hydro-Electric power stations
:31:44. > :31:49.hundreds of miles away to deliver a burst of energy in 17 seconds. But
:31:49. > :31:53.Corrie starts on the other side. So will they bother to get up and have
:31:53. > :32:03.a cuppa tea? They might order too much electricity. I would not like
:32:03. > :32:04.
:32:04. > :32:12.to be in your shoes. Panic over. Simon has ordered enough
:32:12. > :32:17.electricity. We are free to enjoy a post soap Cupper, this time. It is
:32:17. > :32:22.a vitally important, high pressure job that only the brainiest can do.
:32:22. > :32:26.Why are they letting me have a go? All right, it is only a simulator,
:32:26. > :32:32.but it is exciting. This is a simulation of the day of the royal
:32:32. > :32:37.wedding. Where are we now in terms of the timescale? 12:15pm. Everyone
:32:37. > :32:43.is on their way back from Westminster Abbey to the palace.
:32:43. > :32:47.suppose the kiss on the balcony was when everyone was watching. You had
:32:47. > :32:51.to judge when the snogging was over? Predicting when people will
:32:51. > :32:57.get bored of watching Royal's wedding on a balcony is harder than
:32:57. > :33:02.you think, as I soon discover. Why has that redline change? I have not
:33:02. > :33:08.got a quick enough finger to do this. Armageddon is coming. High
:33:08. > :33:13.cost alert! The worst thing that can happen at is that everyone's
:33:13. > :33:15.telly goes off. Oh, dear. I have tried my hand at balancing
:33:15. > :33:19.electricity, and now for distributing electricity. To do
:33:19. > :33:24.this, they feed electricity into the national grid. It might look
:33:24. > :33:28.like a collection of cables, at the National Grid is one of them moder
:33:28. > :33:31.-- wonders of the modern world. It is held up by thousands of pylons
:33:31. > :33:36.that carry the high-voltage current thousands of miles across the UK.
:33:36. > :33:40.Some think they are ugly. And I think they are right. After
:33:40. > :33:45.travelling hundreds of miles from where it was created, electricity
:33:45. > :33:51.reaches your local sub-station and is lowered to 220 volts and wired
:33:51. > :33:56.directly into your home, be it a big city, a small town for a rural
:33:56. > :33:59.location. So next time you switch on your cattle, you will know the
:33:59. > :34:09.amazing journey the electricity has taken to make your lovely cup of
:34:09. > :34:13.
:34:13. > :34:17.tea. And now it is time to pull the plug on this film. Lovely. That was
:34:17. > :34:20.genuinely enlighten him. So when there is a search, they switch on
:34:20. > :34:24.other power stations. We were amazed that they could not store
:34:24. > :34:32.electricity. They literally have to make it according to the present
:34:32. > :34:35.demand. So everyone puts on the telly, and they have to produce it.
:34:35. > :34:40.They have to spot any trends that might be coming up. And that is
:34:40. > :34:43.governed very much by television. When I did that simulation with the
:34:43. > :34:49.royal wedding, the reason they used that is because there is an unusual
:34:49. > :34:58.spike in it. When do you think it was? When people lost interest?
:34:58. > :35:03.the kiss, obviously. It was during the hymns! What a godless nation.
:35:03. > :35:08.So there is the EastEnders moment. Apparently, we are the only country
:35:08. > :35:11.in the world that has these surges. In Italy, if they finish watching a
:35:11. > :35:16.programme, they have some tiramisu or something. Even in summer, when
:35:16. > :35:24.they are watching the football, they open the fridge to get beer
:35:24. > :35:29.out and that caused us a power surge as well. I did all right. No,
:35:29. > :35:33.it went badly wrong. Most of the country right now are complaining
:35:33. > :35:39.about energy prices. He met one man who is not complaining? I met a man
:35:39. > :35:43.who has his own Hydro-Electric scheme in his garden in Devon. I do
:35:43. > :35:48.not know how many kilowatts it makes. He earns about 20 grand a
:35:48. > :35:56.year feeding electricity back into the grid. He has a special NATO
:35:56. > :36:06.that goes backwards. -- a spectrometer. He has taken the
:36:06. > :36:06.
:36:06. > :36:10.stream of a river. Have you not got a river, Julia? Not yet. So you get
:36:10. > :36:16.reduce and make your own money. Where will you be next week? Next
:36:16. > :36:19.week, Chris -- Christmas is coming, so I will follow a letter from a
:36:19. > :36:25.post box in Redhill in Surrey all the way to an obscure Scottish
:36:25. > :36:31.island. How hard can it be? If only we could post you and see if you
:36:31. > :36:37.got there. Are you being cruel? Our insider, Ade Edmondson,
:36:37. > :36:43.everybody. If a complete stranger stopped you
:36:43. > :36:47.in the street and asked for your help, would you oblige? No. They
:36:47. > :36:52.might be trying to rob you. Stanley Johnson thinks we are that kind of
:36:52. > :36:55.nation, and he has been testing the public to prove it. He took his
:36:55. > :36:59.hidden cameras to Stockport to find out how far we would go to help a
:36:59. > :37:04.stranger. Today I want to see how many
:37:04. > :37:08.shoppers in the supermarket will stop and help our actress Jackie
:37:08. > :37:14.with her long shopping list of things she can't quite reach on the
:37:14. > :37:17.top shelf. Will people help her load up her basket? Will she get
:37:17. > :37:23.assistance and the till? Will she get help packing her bags, or will
:37:23. > :37:26.they just think she is a basket- case? We have cameras hidden all
:37:26. > :37:31.over the supermarket, letting us see every angle of Jackie's
:37:31. > :37:38.shopping trip. Let's see how she gets on. Excuse me, could you give
:37:38. > :37:45.us a hand getting these down? has found somebody. Cornflakes,
:37:45. > :37:52.could you get us a couple of packets? Thank you. Thanks very
:37:52. > :38:02.much. Good news, Jackie has another catch. This lady is only a couple
:38:02. > :38:02.
:38:02. > :38:11.of inches taller. I am of a small size myself! And another. Could you
:38:11. > :38:19.get us that bottle at the back? I will take two of them. Could you
:38:19. > :38:25.get the other one? I should have got a trolley. Just how far down
:38:25. > :38:29.that long shopping list will they go? Excuse me, could you give us we
:38:29. > :38:33.hand? I am in a bit of a rush. I might have to commandeer your
:38:33. > :38:40.trolley for two minutes. There are no trollies. Could you get me a
:38:40. > :38:47.couple of packets of them? Can I stuff it in your trolley? Trolley
:38:47. > :38:56.sharing, that his novel. I have a couple of heavy items. A couple of
:38:56. > :39:04.these would be brilliant. If you can manage two, that would be fab.
:39:04. > :39:10.That is right at the back. Jackie take it a stage further now?
:39:10. > :39:16.Can she get anyone to actually help her Paco shopping? It will just be
:39:16. > :39:19.two seconds. I have not done my own yet. Close, but no cigar. Have we
:39:19. > :39:26.reached the limits of people's generosity? Could you give us a
:39:26. > :39:36.hand? Did you get us a couple of packets of tissue? That would be
:39:36. > :39:40.
:39:40. > :39:50.brilliant. And another couple of packets up here. Smashing. Is that
:39:50. > :39:52.
:39:52. > :40:01.it? No, that is not it. It is on to the drinks now. Get us two. He is
:40:01. > :40:11.practically Jackie's personal shopper! Right at the back. No, not
:40:11. > :40:14.
:40:14. > :40:20.that one. What is the difference? want the one with sugar in it.
:40:20. > :40:28.will he go all the way through to the till? I am really racing
:40:28. > :40:33.against time. Kerching! And he was not the only person to help Jackie
:40:33. > :40:37.through checkout. But for one final averages request, I want to see if
:40:37. > :40:42.Jackie can get any of these already generous people to help her carry
:40:42. > :40:47.her shopping laden bags to the car. Would you mind giving us a hand out
:40:47. > :40:54.to the car? Amazingly, three people agree, including this lovely chap,
:40:54. > :41:00.who must be twice Jackie's age. What a trouper! Nast to see public-
:41:00. > :41:05.spirited people. We have had a wonderful time in Stockport. Next
:41:05. > :41:15.week, we are in Leeds, and we will have a moving experience. Meanwhile,
:41:15. > :41:18.
:41:18. > :41:22.I am off home with my dinner for one. Thank you. Have a nice evening.
:41:22. > :41:28.Stanley, Stanley. Let me clear something up before we talk about
:41:29. > :41:34.people's generosity. You have never shopped in a supermarket before?
:41:34. > :41:39.That is extremely unfair. A couple of years ago, I went shopping.
:41:39. > :41:44.There was a domestic crisis. Truth to tell, my life has not been full
:41:44. > :41:49.of shopping. I went to school, went to university, got married and
:41:49. > :41:55.remarried. Shopping has not been a major feature. You just missed the
:41:55. > :42:00.supermarket thing out? At yes. And yet in Manchester, it was a
:42:00. > :42:06.terrific experience. So overall, you must have been happy with
:42:06. > :42:09.people's kindness levels? I was amazed. They really went out of
:42:09. > :42:18.their way to help. They were enjoying it. The chaps were reach
:42:18. > :42:22.up to the top shelf as though they did it all the time. Four people
:42:22. > :42:28.not only helped with the shopping, but they went outside to the car
:42:28. > :42:32.and carried everything. They went beyond the call of duty. I
:42:32. > :42:36.congratulate them. In these days of economic boom, they really shone a
:42:36. > :42:41.bright light. Where would you be next week, somewhere else you have
:42:41. > :42:44.never been before? We will be in Leeds at the University. I am told
:42:44. > :42:54.you have to be careful where you walk in that area. Watch out for
:42:54. > :42:54.
:42:54. > :42:57.the pavements. Stanley Johnson, thank you.
:42:57. > :43:01.Another of the things you have told us that gets on your nerves are
:43:01. > :43:11.roadworks, but where are the worst ones in Britain? We asked you for
:43:11. > :43:36.
:43:36. > :43:41.your nominations, and here are some Grim scenes. This is the worst
:43:41. > :43:46.roadworks in Britain Trophy. It had to be a traffic cone. But which of
:43:46. > :43:52.the road works will walk away with the title? Magnificent trophy. Here
:43:52. > :43:56.are the three finalists, in reverse order. The A6 in Salford, in third
:43:56. > :44:01.place. They say it has been making the journey into Manchester
:44:01. > :44:05.unbearable and has been there since July. Salford City Council said the
:44:05. > :44:09.works have been there since March, not July! They have been part of
:44:09. > :44:13.the regeneration of the area, but they are nearly finished. But the
:44:13. > :44:18.only thing moving is a bicycle, so please make it quick. In second
:44:18. > :44:22.place, there is the Kirkstall Road works in Leeds, put forward by a
:44:22. > :44:26.viewer who says the scheme is to create a new bus lane and it has
:44:26. > :44:29.been going on for two and a half years and caused major congestion.
:44:29. > :44:34.Leeds City Council say the work started in 2010 and is taking so
:44:34. > :44:37.long because they only work on it outside peak hours to avoid causing
:44:37. > :44:41.disruption on a congested traffic route. But the council say when it
:44:41. > :44:46.is finished, there will be new bus lanes. If you travel on the bus in
:44:46. > :44:50.Leeds next year, be happy. But we have decided between us that the
:44:50. > :44:57.winner this week is Pointon in Cheshire. Nominated by Matt
:44:57. > :45:00.Williams. It looks like an absolute stinker. It takes up half the road.
:45:00. > :45:04.It has been going on since last year and some of you have taken
:45:04. > :45:08.hundreds of photos of it as a souvenir. The council told us the
:45:08. > :45:13.recent discovery of crushed Underground trains, due to previous
:45:13. > :45:23.gas maintenance works, has delayed progress, with the completion date
:45:23. > :45:23.
:45:23. > :45:28.slipping from December 2011 until Next week we are handing out the
:45:28. > :45:35.award for most confusing road signs in Britain. Do you get bamboozled
:45:35. > :45:38.about what is a cycle path and what isn't? Send us your pictures.
:45:38. > :45:42.let us know where to send our cameras and we will have the best
:45:42. > :45:46.on next week's show. Earlier Stephen K Amos tried to persuade to
:45:46. > :45:50.you brining back the milk -- bring back the milkman. We asked whether
:45:50. > :45:56.you would be willing to pay extra for the return of the milk float.
:45:56. > :45:59.Now the vote is now closed. Please don't vote any more as you will be
:45:59. > :46:09.charged but your vote won't count. Full terms and conditions can be
:46:09. > :46:10.
:46:10. > :46:14.found on our website. When we went to the wall last week one complaint
:46:14. > :46:17.outranked more others, dog poo. Never fear there is a dedicated
:46:17. > :46:21.group of people who have been taking action on your behalf. It
:46:21. > :46:28.might be the dirtiest of jobs, but they're out there doing it. If you
:46:28. > :46:35.are having your dinner, stop. This sports ground in Herefordshire
:46:35. > :46:38.is a battlefield and the battle is being fought over this. There's
:46:38. > :46:42.fouling everywhere, it's disgraceful. The football and rugby
:46:42. > :46:45.pitches are used by hundreds of adults and children every weekend.
:46:45. > :46:50.They've had enough of having to tackle dog poo as well as each
:46:50. > :46:56.other. It's as if they don't care, they leave it lying around. Before
:46:56. > :47:00.training I have to clear up sometimes four or five six bags.
:47:00. > :47:05.There are times I dived in and it was disgusting. There should be a
:47:05. > :47:09.law against it. In fact, since 1996 there has been a law against it. In
:47:09. > :47:15.Herefordshire it carries an �80 fine and now a crack team from the
:47:15. > :47:22.council's community protection unit has been called in to enforce it.
:47:22. > :47:28.Who is going to be the first it get a ticket? To catch someone Jo and
:47:28. > :47:34.Matt, the poo police as they're known have to see the owner walk
:47:34. > :47:39.away. The poo police are experts when it comes to the hard, or
:47:39. > :47:44.rather soft evidence. You can certainly tell by the type of dog
:47:44. > :47:50.fouling that it is how big the faeces are as probably the size of
:47:50. > :47:59.dog it came from. You just get an idea for that. This morning the
:47:59. > :48:04.suspects include a poodle, a Jack Russell cross, a rather overweight
:48:04. > :48:10.golden retriever. Here we go. Is that somebody now? Once that dog
:48:10. > :48:14.gets out of the vehicle he will want to... When one of the suspects
:48:14. > :48:22.fouls in the middle of the pitch Jo and Matt leap into action. But the
:48:22. > :48:28.owner cleans up. And as the morning wears on more and more suspects are
:48:28. > :48:33.eliminated from the inquiry. Blasted! Oh, well, it could be
:48:33. > :48:41.raining, Jo. The Heavens open, but the poo
:48:41. > :48:45.police aren't giving up that easily. It's the end of a frustrating day.
:48:45. > :48:51.Jo and Matt find more evidence of the crime, but no culprit, it's
:48:51. > :48:55.just rubbing their noses in it. Look. That's the type of people we
:48:55. > :49:00.are after, Jo. Yeah, they let them out, they come running over here.
:49:01. > :49:04.This is exactly what needs to be stopped. It's a few days later and
:49:04. > :49:08.the poo police are back on patrol, solving this canine crime is
:49:08. > :49:12.proving a difficult and costly operation. Team leader Craig is
:49:12. > :49:17.under pressure to deliver and is taking personal command. We decided
:49:17. > :49:22.this morning that we are not going to wear our high-vis jackets, we
:49:22. > :49:26.are still in uniform and identify ourselves to to people when we
:49:26. > :49:30.approach them. As they were arriving they could see us, so we
:49:30. > :49:40.are parking here today and we will walk across and surprise them.
:49:40. > :49:43.
:49:43. > :49:48.Craig's fixed penalty. Craig resorts to fraternising with the
:49:48. > :49:54.enemy. But when a dog does pop one out under Craig's nose he
:49:54. > :50:00.completely misses it. There we are. Look how fresh that is. I can't
:50:00. > :50:05.leave you for five minutes. Team leader, what does he do! I love it!
:50:05. > :50:09.I was watching one. I haven't got double vision. I can have a day's
:50:09. > :50:13.leave next week then? You can have whatever you want, if you keep that
:50:13. > :50:17.quiet! It's a painful dent to Craig's reputation. He likes to be
:50:17. > :50:21.there first. I have got to get someone, Matt. This is doing my
:50:21. > :50:24.head in. Patience, boy. As the morning wears on it looks like it's
:50:24. > :50:29.going to be another failed operation, but suddenly it all
:50:29. > :50:33.kicks off. While Matt is on the scent of a Westy, Craig has a work
:50:33. > :50:39.shire terrier firmly tkrbg tkrbg Yorkshire terrier firmly in his
:50:39. > :50:47.sights. Excuse me, Madame. I am one of the
:50:47. > :50:51.dog wardens... The westy has fouled in the area of one of the junior
:50:51. > :50:56.football pitches. I always pick up, always, always. The owner is upset
:50:56. > :51:04.because she says she she always picks up her dog's mess. Rough
:51:04. > :51:10.justice or not, Matt issues the �80 fine. On the rugby pitches Craig's
:51:10. > :51:15.also had a result with the Yorky. gentleman turned up in a vehicle
:51:15. > :51:19.here with a Yorkshire terrier and he's gone over there with total
:51:19. > :51:24.disregard, he allowed his dog to poo on the rugby field and it's not
:51:24. > :51:29.on. We were able to catch him and a fixed penalty for his trouble.
:51:29. > :51:33.successful operation, but has team leader Craig redeemed himself?
:51:33. > :51:37.forgive him now. He's got one. I don't think I would have done if he
:51:37. > :51:43.hadn't caught that Yorkshire terrier. We will go and have a cup
:51:43. > :51:49.of tea. APPLAUSE.
:51:49. > :51:55.You see, last week you weren't so keen on Craig's tactics. You
:51:55. > :52:05.thought he was heavy-handed with the fines. Although I was spent the
:52:05. > :52:07.
:52:07. > :52:11.week picking up cigarette butts. What kind of - allows a dog to do
:52:11. > :52:14.that on the sports field. It's the number one complaint to environment
:52:14. > :52:18.enforcement officers. I am not at all surprised. Some of you may
:52:18. > :52:23.think our bin cops are strict when they're nothing compared to the
:52:23. > :52:28.mayor of the Italian island of Capris. It's been reported he
:52:28. > :52:34.announced plans to put every dog on the island on an DNA database so
:52:34. > :52:40.when poo is found the owner can be traced in a CSI-style. Craig would
:52:40. > :52:45.absolutely love that. Now it's time for That's Britain news with Nick
:52:45. > :52:50.Knowles. Good evening. The headlines: A
:52:50. > :52:56.Leicestershireman was arrested and handcuffed in a fishmongers after
:52:56. > :53:01.he was reported to police for telling people he was planning to
:53:01. > :53:04.commit a murder, it was at this point the police discovered the man
:53:04. > :53:08.concerned had been referring to murdering lobsters he planned to
:53:08. > :53:13.cook for dinner that night with his wife. The police released him, but
:53:13. > :53:18.then re-arrested him hours later after they read on Twitter he pwalt
:53:18. > :53:22.-- battered some scampi. Finally, because we are that quick now, a
:53:22. > :53:25.man who was sick and tired of cars and lorries speeding through a
:53:25. > :53:30.sleepy village has taken action to stop them. He got so fed up with
:53:30. > :53:34.the noise that he put his own speed limit sign up and he made sure that
:53:34. > :53:40.nobody could say they hadn't seen it. Taking up the entire side of
:53:40. > :53:43.his house the multicultural stands 15 -- mural took five hours to
:53:43. > :53:49.complete. He plans to take it down at the end of the month by which
:53:49. > :53:52.time it will probably have been shortlisted for the Turner Prize.
:53:52. > :53:57.Now it's time to meet another of our hidden heroes. These are the
:53:57. > :54:02.people who keep the cogs of the country turning. This man it's the
:54:02. > :54:07.time who stops traffic jams. Steve is in charge of 800 phaoeults of --
:54:07. > :54:11.miles of motorway in and around Birmingham. These are some of the
:54:11. > :54:14.busiest thoroughfares in Europe. you do a job and do it well there
:54:14. > :54:22.is that sense of satisfaction and pride that you have done the west
:54:22. > :54:26.that you can do. Steve has a bird's eye view on his computer screens at
:54:26. > :54:31.the West Midlands regional control centre. It's daunting at times,
:54:31. > :54:35.exciting certainly. Different. It can be all of those things in the
:54:35. > :54:40.space of one shift. Today only 30 minutes into his shift Steve faces
:54:40. > :54:44.a crisis on a hectic M42 carriageway. A set of builder's
:54:44. > :54:48.ladders have flown across three lanes of traffic. Potentially it's
:54:48. > :54:53.a very dangerous situation. If you come across a set of ladders in the
:54:53. > :54:56.carriageway at 70mph your reaction is to swerve and avoid. Steve puts
:54:56. > :55:01.in place a rolling road block so a member of his team can get the
:55:01. > :55:09.ladders off the road. An incident that took seven minutes to clear
:55:09. > :55:16.has resulted in possibly five, six, seven kilometres of on jestian.
:55:16. > :55:20.congestion. Steve's living nightmare would be
:55:20. > :55:25.gridlock now. To keep the traffic flowing has to resolve any incident
:55:25. > :55:29.within minutes and open up extra lanes. A good rush hour is where
:55:29. > :55:33.people have got home in time for tea, put the children to bed. It's
:55:33. > :55:36.satisfying to know they've got home safe and well and they can do what
:55:36. > :55:45.they plan to do this evening. Keeping the heart of Britain moving
:55:45. > :55:49.makes Steve a true hidden hero. APPLAUSE.
:55:49. > :55:54.Earlier we asked whether or not you would be willing to pay an extra
:55:54. > :55:59.25p for a pint of milk if it brought the milkman back to the
:55:59. > :56:09.street. The votes are in. Let's find out.
:56:09. > :56:11.
:56:11. > :56:15.Close. It's a yes! 59% yes. Come on! It's official, the majority of
:56:15. > :56:19.you who voted do want to bring milkmen. Did you expect that and
:56:19. > :56:25.well done? I am astounded. Thank you very much for supporting this.
:56:25. > :56:28.I didn't expect it, I thought it would be 50-50. But come on!
:56:28. > :56:34.Fantastic, thank you to everyone who voted and thanks so much to
:56:34. > :56:39.Stephen K Amos. Next week you can vote on whether you want to bring
:56:39. > :56:43.back the petrol pump attendant. I used to be an attendant once. I
:56:43. > :56:48.thoroughly enjoyed it, chatting to customers and things. Let's look at
:56:48. > :56:50.tonight's final word wall. We asked you to talk o our wall and get off
:56:50. > :56:54.your chest the things that have been bothering you the most. This
:56:54. > :57:00.is how it looked earlier. Strikes were a big thing in the middle of
:57:00. > :57:05.the show. So, throughout the show... You have been telling us what's
:57:05. > :57:09.getting your goat. The final update, let's look and see what's annoying
:57:10. > :57:16.you now. Petrol prices, strikes still amongst it and wind turbines
:57:16. > :57:20.which we talked about. Horse poo is looming larger there. That's true.
:57:20. > :57:24.What else? Fog lights and cyclists, hopefully not together. Christmas
:57:24. > :57:27.has turned up on there, we can't actually do anything about
:57:27. > :57:32.Christmas. Although we have a Christmas-related film we are
:57:32. > :57:40.making later on nearer the time. That's Britain has also appeared on
:57:40. > :57:45.the wall. That was predictable. Probably complaints. E-mails?
:57:45. > :57:51.calling on home numbers is a nightmare. How do they get your
:57:51. > :57:56.income? -- your your number. Ashley is annoyed by people on trains who
:57:56. > :58:04.seem to think they need a seat for kwreur bags. Gail says when driving
:58:04. > :58:10.at night I get annoyed by cyclists with no lights or. Thank you for
:58:10. > :58:14.getting in touch and for your stories. Remember keep e-mailing us
:58:14. > :58:19.with the most confusing road signs in Britain. We will reveal what's
:58:19. > :58:24.bothering you next week. Remember to put the word you want on the