Episode 9 Call the Council

From rubbish and recycling...

..to potholes and pavements...

Another street down, another street to go.

..educating our children...

Fantastic!

..and caring for the elderly...

It does make a difference, when you see what can be achieved.

..we rely on our local councils to provide a huge range of services.

You may kiss the bride.

In this series, we follow front-line staff

working for Wigan Council in Greater Manchester.

-LOUD KNOCKING

-Ooh, sorry!

Like council officers across the country,

they're protecting us from hidden dangers...

Oh, dear.

..stepping in when there's an emergency...

You never know what you're turning up to.

-All right.

-Thank you very much.

..and responding to residents...

-Thanks for everything - good job!

-..when they call the council.

Coming up, officers inspect a small holding

that could have a big problem...

You will get rats around areas like this.

It is a fact, just by the very nature.

..a new restaurant owner

faces her first ever food hygiene inspection....

It's areas like that we'd expect there to be build up.

People might not move these things out so often.

..and love is in the air,

when a council registrar tries to marry five couples in one day.

Could you all please stand for the bridal party?

For over 125 years,

local councils have been providing vital services

for the people of the UK

and many of us rely on them for the roof over our head.

Wigan Council is a metropolitan borough,

with over 22,000 council-owned homes.

It's up to maintenance officers and council joiners, like Scott Howarth,

to make sure that accommodation remains at the highest standard.

Worked for the council coming on ten years now.

You get everything, from everyday life, just broken windows,

to meet the police for getting accesses.

Get a lot of lost keys, faulty front doors,

people locked out, people locked in.

Right, no worries, mate. Cheers. See you later, mate. Bye.

Today, Scott is responding to an emergency call

from a council tenant.

We had a flood, upstairs in the bathroom,

and it were flooded from about four o'clock in the morning, and it

carried on coming out, but they didn't come till about dinner time.

So, entire house were flooded.

Mother-of-three Hazel's kitchen ceiling has fallen in

and she blames the council for not fixing a leaking pipe.

They said they'd fixed it

and, a couple of weeks later, it did it again.

And so, it were just absolutely saturated,

and then yesterday it just... literally come down.

All right?

The council did attempt to assess the damage

before the ceiling collapsed,

but couldn't get access.

Now Scott's arrived to try and put things right.

-I'm in a really bad mood, so...

-Right.

-..there's going to be a lot of swearing

-and a lot of anger, so...

-Right. That's nothing to do with me.

-I'm just doing me job.

-I'm not happy.

All right, well, don't take that out on me cos it weren't me.

-I'm not happy.

-'You're the one what's on the front line, you know?'

I mean, it's all right, somebody on the other end of a telephone...

getting a bit of earache, but it's like, when you're actually stood there in front of them,

it's like you need to...resolve the situation and...

make her realise you're here to help.

Armed with a dustpan, brush and stepladder,

Scott needs to make the ceiling safe...

Well, that's me work stuff, that.

..but will he be able to fix Hazel's faith in the council?

Has the leak been sorted? You've not got a leak now?

Yeah, the leak's fine.

Right. So, it's basically, now, we'll make the ceiling safe.

I'm just going to bring all the loose bits down,

so nothing else falls down,

and then we'll get a plasterer to come and sort the ceiling out.

-That all right?

-Yeah, that's all right.

-Great, no worries.

Scott's doing all he can to keep Hazel on board,

but his task gets tougher as the full extent of the damage is revealed.

Looking at it, it's gone about two foot out the way from the middle.

Erm...

A lot of old plaster.

You can actually feel the plasterboard is damp.

I don't want to take any more down than what I have to.

That's all the loose bits down.

-That's what that horrible smell is!

-Yeah.

With the threat of falling debris removed,

all Scott can do now is lend Hazel a sympathetic ear.

Can not get rid of that smell upstairs - it's all upstairs.

Cos, when we had the leak, it was that bad,

all the carpet in the front room was saturated.

It was about four-inch deep water. It was all the way down the stairs.

The house was a swimming pool!

It's stressful, isn't it? Do you know, when you wake up,

and all you can smell is this horrible smell?

Can I just squeeze past you there, boys? Cheers, mate.

Despite the damp and the delays,

Scott's hard work is beginning to win Hazel over.

He is doing a good job, though. He's like a really good council worker.

Thank you. That's what I like to hear.

-And he's good-looking, as well!

-Thanks, definite!

Scott's done all he can for now, but he'll return with

reinforcements in a few days to fix the ceiling properly.

That's the last of the big stuff.

See you again. See you, lads!

See you.

Get out of the skip!

It needs a full new ceiling.

We'll make sure it gets plastered as soon as possible

and then redecorated.

There's more work to be done,

but resident Hazel is starting to feel happier.

Really fixed it. It's not going to fall on us now.

Knowing that the ceiling's not going to cave in and kill us

at any given moment - that is brilliant.

Coming up, Scott returns to finish the job.

Can he finally make good the ceiling and, with it,

make amends with Hazel?

It's been awful. It's been a lot of sleepless nights.

Our councils are responsible for keeping

our local environment pleasant and safe.

From maintaining parks,

to collecting rubbish

and controlling pests,

the quality of their work affects the quality of our lives.

I think my local council are quite good.

They try and do their bit for the environment,

which is quite important to me.

The environmentalists, the locality officers,

the problem is they do so much good, I think...

but...

one bad thing and everybody's all over it.

Litter, dog fouling, that really gets on my nerves.

It's dangerous and it's everywhere.

And...

I think there are small issues, I think,

that could make a big difference if they were dealt with.

Public protection officer Barry Pilkington

has worked for Wigan Council for over 30 years,

stepping in when inconsiderate residents step out of line.

Hello, my mate, are you OK?

I like to think that a good 70% of my role is being

an educator of people,

of how we want them to behave,

as being, you know, a resident

within our borough.

And enforcement and education keeps me busy.

Today, Barry is responding to a call to the council

complaining about conditions on a local small holding.

I just want to have a chat with her about...

you know, what's been alleged - about the flies and the odours

and so on - and just see exactly what she has to say about it.

Small holdings are bigger than allotments

but smaller than farms,

with some as big as 20 acres.

They're used for agricultural purposes,

but aren't always in the countryside,

which means you might find farm animals in the suburbs.

There are around 4,000 small holdings in the UK.

They're often more productive per acre than a large farm

and provide around 16,000 jobs.

This small holding is on the outskirts of town,

but it's close enough to residential properties

to have prompted a call to the council.

This is a complaint that conditions at this small holding here is

affecting other properties.

Because of the possibility of flies, manure and rats,

I just want to have a... cast my eye over it.

Officers like Barry are responsible for following up calls that

come in, but they can only act on the evidence that

they can see or smell when they're on site.

-Hello, there.

-Oh, thank...

-You all right?

-Am I OK just to have a roam round if I can, please?

-You can do what you want, yeah.

Have you seen any rats while you've been pottering around here?

Last time I saw a rat was about five, six weeks ago, at least,

and the pig ate it.

-Did it?

-Sandy, the big pig...

..run, got it, ate it.

If you've never met a pig before, they will wallop everything.

There are lots of nooks and crannies for the rats to live in

and Barry knows exactly where to find them.

You will get rats around areas like this - it is a fact.

You know, just by their very nature.

When you have an infestation of rats,

you'll get tell-tale signs.

You'll see holes in the ground,

you'll see smear-marks off their body because they're a greasy little rodent.

Barry has established that there have been rats on the premises,

but the manager is addressing the situation.

The fronts are actually going to be corner bed...

These particular buildings here are being demolished

and what's happening is, if you look at the outhouses,

they're all raised off the ground.

The fact that they're raised off the ground means

that natural predators can get at any rats.

The fact that they can get at the rats, they won't harbour there,

it really is that simple.

Rats are no fools.

If predators can get under, and they are raised off the ground, then...

that's a good practice.

These are flat on the ground - that is a bad practice.

To further help the owners combat the rats,

Barry offers up some advice of his own on using bait.

-I would put it underneath...

-Yeah.

-..and you're going that far under.

-OK, cos your pigs can't get under there, can they?

-No.

We're working together. This is what Wigan Council want.

It's not for me to be coming here

and dictating to people about things that I can't make them do.

There's nothing here for me to do other than ensure that bait is laid.

-We have a perfect rat-bait box.

-Mm-hmm.

-Just a simple structure. The rodenticide bait goes here.

-Yeah.

Nothing can get at it - only something that can crawl in -

and the only thing that's going to crawl in around here is Mr Rat.

Barry has the power to place financial penalties on badly

run small holdings and could use legal powers to stop any nuisance.

So, does the resident who called the council have

a justifiable complaint?

I've inspected the small holding - it's not perfect.

There are areas of improvement.

With the original complainant,

the complaint was with regards to odours and rats.

There are certainly no odours.

We only deal with the problems that are there,

not something that may be.

I've managed to persuade her to put some rodenticide bait

on the outskirts of the small holding.

It's my job, really, to persuade people and to educate people.

Enforcement action is a last resort, do you know what I mean?

We want people to take ownership of the area that they live.

So I'll go back in about ten days' time, carry out another

inspection and, hopefully, we'll see some improvements.

Having given the small holders his advice,

Barry will return to see if they've taken it.

Still to come...

Barry revisits the small holding

on one of the hottest days of the year.

Will it remain rodent and smell-free?

This is perfect day because, if we were going to get smells, we'd have them.

If we were going to get flies, we'd have them.

Our local authorities are not just responsible for

emptying our bins and cleaning our streets -

they're also there to help us

on some of the biggest days of our lives.

There are more than a quarter of a million weddings

in England and Wales annually -

70% of those are civil ceremonies conducted by councils.

Every year, Wigan Council oversees around 600 weddings,

performed by registrars like Paula Clisham.

I have conducted 350 weddings in the last three years.

I just love meeting people

and...seeing them all dressed up.

Everybody's happy.

And when people thank you

for doing the service, afterwards,

it's just so nice.

I love it.

Helping happy couples tie the knot isn't Paula's day-job, though.

Monday to Friday, I work in the democratic services

and I'm a councillor support officer.

During the week, Paula provides office support

to elected council members.

Hello, Wigan Council. Paula speaking.

But when Saturday comes, she's a weekend wedding warrior!

And this is no ordinary Saturday.

Today, Paula and fellow registrar Ann McKeever

have got five weddings to complete within six hours.

It is a challenge, but I try and...

don't tell any of the other couples we've had a wedding before,

or a wedding after, cos I want to make that wedding special.

It is vital cos it is their day.

Today's ceremonies are taking place in Mesnes Park Lodge,

a local landmark and a venue much in demand.

It's 9am and the council team are already set up,

ready for their first wedding.

I'm going to be conducting the ceremony

and Ann is the registrar, who is going to enter

all the details of the marriage into the register for life...

for all time.

So we usually speak to the groom first,

so it's important to go through the ceremony with him

and ask them what they want.

It's the happiest day of their life

and we just need to get that right for them.

-You just see Ann first, please. Thank you.

-Yup. Hi, love. All right?

-Hi, I'm Ann.

Jeff Wood will be the first groom of the day to get married.

-I just need to just go through the ceremony with you.

-OK.

-Do you have any readings?

-No.

-And there's no personal vows?

-No.

No, OK.

It's important that Paula ensures all the paperwork is in order

before today's ceremonies begin,

but there are some things she can't control

that could put a dampener on proceedings.

The weather can be tricky sometimes,

especially if it was raining today.

You know, yourself getting the names wrong.

I've only been doing this three years

and that has never happened to me.

But today, with five weddings to conduct,

Paula's most pressing issue is time.

-Just if they're late...

-It's tradition for the bride to be late.

After 15 minutes, if the bride hasn't arrived,

we try and go up to somebody - don't like panicking the groom.

We would probably go up to a member and just say,

"Can you just check on where she is?"

If any of these potential problems are preying on Paula's mind,

she doesn't let it show when greeting the first bride of the day.

Good morning. You look absolutely gorgeous!

Ooh! I tell you what, I feel like getting you to put them

-all over me body.

-PAULA LAUGHS

-You are lovely and cold and I am boiling hot!

-Am I cold?

Yeah, you are.

-Well, I'm going to be doing the ceremony...

-Would you touch me there? Ooh...

I didn't think I'd got cold hands - I'm warm!

I'm boiling hot and your hands are lovely and cold!

Well, I'm going to be doing your ceremony. Anne's just going to be coming out.

-We're going to take you through there and just ask you some questions, OK?

-Yes.

-You're the lovely father, yes?

-Mm-hmm.

Now, are you happy for me to ask you the question

to give your daughter away?

Can't wait to get rid of me!

-Oh, yeah...

-Are you OK with that, Thomas?

Hello, girls. You look beautiful.

Paula is used to dealing with last-minute requests from brides,

but Catherine has one that's a little unusual.

If he turns that phone on, and it's got the

dur-duh, dur-duh, dur-duh Jaws theme tune,

-I'm turning around and walking away.

-Oh, dear. Right, I'll check that.

He's been threatening for months and it's, like, not the done thing.

You nearly ready, girls?

Paula makes sure the only ring during this ceremony

will be the one that goes on Catherine's finger.

Can I just ask - are all your mobile phones off?

-The groom, have you got yours off?

-Yeah.

-Can I just check...

-please?

-GUESTS LAUGH

-Can you turn it off, please, Jeffrey?

-Yeah. Completely.

-Thank you.

-All right.

Hello. Could everybody please stand for the bridal party?

Thank you.

Wedding number one is underway.

We are here today to witness the joining in matrimony

of Jeff and Catherine.

Jeff and Catherine's big moment has arrived,

and so has Paula's.

-..may not be joined in matrimony...

-..may not be joined in matrimony...

..to Jeffrey Alan Lowe.

-Wood.

-Lowe?

-Wood, sorry! Wood. Sorry.

-GUESTS LAUGH

-Wood, Wood, sorry!

-CATHERINE AND PAULA:

-..to Jeffrey Alan Wood.

Sorry!

Mr and Mrs Lowe, I mean Wood, have tied the knot.

You may kiss the bride.

Congratulations.

OK, thank you. Have a lovely day.

One ceremony down, but there's four more to go.

Time is of the essence for Wigan's wedding warrior!

I've now got weddings from half past one, quarter past two,

three o'clock and quarter to four.

I mean, It's going to be quite tight this afternoon, isn't it,

with only 45 minutes for the ceremony?

-They don't need to know that we've got one wedding after another.

-No, no, no.

Hopefully, today, we won't be late.

Paula's on time and ready for the next wedding,

and so are the guests and groom.

But, with two minutes to go,

there's no sign of the bride.

Going to be traditionally late, by the sound of it.

We don't need this.

If the bride's more than half an hour late,

Paula will be forced to bump the ceremony to the end of the day.

It would be a potential disaster and she's only on wedding number two.

Coming up, will Paula make it to wedding number five

without any tears?

Could you all please stand for the bridal party? Thank you.

One thing's for sure - it's going to be emotional.

There are over half a million confirmed cases of food poisoning

each year in the UK.

Councils have a responsibility to keep the public safe

by ensuring that all food outlets are operating

in a clean and hygienic way.

Good afternoon, Wigan Council. Fran speaking.

Environmental health officers, like Wigan's Fran Lindley,

are on the front-line,

keeping tabs on the borough's 2,000 food businesses.

She has the power to shut down any that threaten the public's health.

The role of an environmental health officer in a food team

is really important in protecting public health

cos we're making sure that the food produced or sold within

the borough is safe to eat.

The Food Standards Agency has strict rules for food outlets

and it's the council's job to enforce them.

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is a national scheme

looking at the hygiene practices in the business, the structure,

and confidence in management.

And we have to score the business on those three areas.

So, nought is urgent improvement required.

A five, the other end of the scale,

is the highest standard of compliance.

After opening, all new businesses need to be inspected.

Today, Fran is making an unannounced inspection

at a newly opened fish and chip shop.

A bad hygiene rating could spell disaster for the fledgling business

and the signs aren't good.

The chippy has only been open six weeks,

but somebody has already called the council

to complain about spilled oil on the pavement.

Hiya. Yeah, good afternoon.

-My name's Fran. I'm from Environmental Health at Wigan Council.

-Yeah?

-I've come to do your new business inspection today.

-Yeah.

Owner Alison used to run a post office from these premises.

Alison and her family have made a big change

and now have to handle their first ever surprise inspection

from an environmental health officer.

-And you worked here before, didn't you, when it was the post office?

-The post office, yeah.

I've actually started from scratch.

I had to go to the Wigan Council,

get planning permission for change of use.

It's a family-run business. My son Adam,

and Paul, they work in it during the day,

and my daughter, Emma,

she comes in round about five o'clock after college.

Have you had a food business before?

Do you know what is involved with the inspection?

-Well, I have an idea.

-Yeah.

So, it's going to be a mixture of checking...

the structural element of your premises,

your walls, floors, ceilings,

what facilities you've got for hand washing, equipment washing,

erm, having a look for pest control.

And then we'll have a look at your procedures, and I'll watch the staff

while they're operating, have a look at any records that you've got.

The way food is stored is another key hygiene consideration

and inspectors often find businesses falling short.

Raw meat or fish can contaminate other food and cause food poisoning.

Just looking at how it's stored, so it's boxed and wrapped.

The bacon's wrapped.

That's not ideal cos it could potentially contaminate the unit.

But there doesn't look to be any ready-to-eat food on that shelf.

If food isn't sold or thrown out before its use-by date,

it could cause infections like the norovirus, or salmonella,

the pathogen which causes the most UK hospital admissions -

around 2,500 per year.

So you've got this one fridge here, which is just raw products,

so it's raw fish, raw bacon at the bottom.

And then what have you got in this other fridge?

We've got milk and we've got the pies.

The cooked meat in here - what's that used for?

Erm, hot...beef...

Erm, we do a beef and onion.

-Erm, barns?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

OK, that's great.

Having checked the way the food's stored,

Fran moves on to inspect the way

cooking utensils are cleaned and food washed.

Bad practice here is another common source of bacterial infection.

And what do you use that sink for?

-For...washing the pots.

-All equipment wash?

-Yeah.

-Is everything washed by hand?

-Yes.

-Yeah.

And is there any food that you wash?

-Like your potatoes, they're...

-Yes.

..they're washed, aren't they, in the tub? OK.

There are also stringent rules

on the temperature food has to be cooked to.

-I've got a probe.

-So what type of food would you check with the probe?

-Chicken, or anything that...

-Anything that you're frying. OK.

-And what temperature are you looking for?

-76.

As you can see, I think I've gone over the top.

-I've burned myself!

-SHE LAUGHS

-Nobody can say my food's never hot enough!

-FRAN LAUGHS

Dirt and discarded food are next on Fran's checklist.

They can attract unwanted visitors, like cockroaches and mice.

I'm just looking to see if there's signs of any pest activity

and just to check the general cleaning standard as well.

It's really clean.

Cos, normally, it's areas like that we'd expect there to be build up

because people might not move these things out so often,

but there's nothing there.

The final areas on Fran's checklist are management procedures

and building structure.

-The drains - I did have a problem with the drains.

-OK.

-And I rang up...the water board...

-Right.

..and they actually came out.

And what it is, my drains...

are connected to another business,

and there was some oil from him

coming into mine.

And obviously I showed the water guys.

Obviously we have...

oil, vegetable oil, that we get rid of,

-but I have a tub, which I mentioned.

-Are they dealing with that for you?

Yeah, I mentioned it to him

and he says they put sand on it,

and they've made sure that it's good.

This drain issue could explain

the earlier complaint to the council

about oil on the pavement outside Alison's restaurant.

I've come because you're a new business,

but we did get a complaint made to one of our colleagues

about waste oil being disposed of on the pavement.

Now, obviously, we've not got any evidence of that.

It is actually, I believe, an offence to do something like that,

-so I'm not going to jeopardise my business.

-No, no.

Fran is satisfied. She will now review her findings.

It will be a few days before she can issue the hygiene rating...

See you. Bye-bye!

..a rating crucial to the future of Alison's fledgling fish shop.

When the lady walked in,

I had to pick myself of the floor, really,

because, as far as I'm concerned,

I think something like this can make or break you.

Coming up, it's the moment of truth for Alison,

when the chippy's hygiene rating is served.

Anything less than a five, to me...

you're not at a high standard.

Three days ago, Wigan Council's joiner, Scott Howarth,

responded to council tenant Hazel's call for help.

A pipe above Hazel's kitchen had leaked,

leaving the ceiling damp and in danger of falling down.

It's stressful, isn't it?

You know, when you wake up

and all you can smell is this horrible smell.

Scott successfully made the ceiling safe and cleared the debris.

Now he's back at the mum-of-three's house.

I'll get all the stuff, Chris.

Going to take the ceiling down fully...to where it's safe,

and then re-plasterboard it.

Remove all the old stuff off site, clean up.

And it's not a moment too soon for Hazel.

She blames the council for not fixing the original leak properly.

It's been awful. It's been a lot of sleepless nights...and stress.

In a bid to finally fix the ceiling

and mend Hazel's relationship with the council,

Scott's called in the cavalry.

This sort of job, no matter what you do,

you're still going to get a mess on the floor.

The cupboards are taped up as a precaution against dust,

under Hazel's watchful eye,

then it's all hands on ceiling.

Majority of all the loose stuff's down now, so...

we'll get it boarded,

get it all levelled up and then it can be skimmed.

Whilst the ceiling repairs are going to plan,

bringing resident Hazel back on side is still a work in progress.

I'm still going to be finding dust for about a month!

It looks awful!

I'll have to have a bath tonight!

I have one once a week, whether I need it or not!

As the new sections of plasterboard go up,

the gaping holes are covered

and Hazel's trust in the council is slowly returning.

Nearly done.

So, it's mostly waiting to decorate the entire house,

which needs to be done now, cos everything's damaged.

The council are only responsible for the structure of the property.

Hazel will have to pay for any redecoration,

but that's easier said than done.

Because I didn't have any contents insurance, it's...

a lot to replace.

You don't think about it cos you think,

"Oh, nothing's going to happen", and...it does.

And when it does, it does really bad!

And...I've already been pricing it up.

Just going to do it in phases, but...lesson learned.

Get contents insurance.

Last board gone in now. Erm...

When I get the lads to pick up the rubbish off the front,

otherwise it'll end up everywhere.

We all muck in - it needs cleaning up.

Many hands make light work.

At the moment, now, the emergency's over.

There's no more bits going to fall out the ceiling and hit anybody,

or cause any more damage.

The ceiling's safe,

so we've dropped the old plasterboard,

put new plasterboard up.

It's scheduled in, the next appointment -

get it skimmed up and then she can redecorate.

Right, job Done.

Ceiling sorted!

But Scott wants to make extra sure he leaves a

happy council customer behind.

Hope me wife don't see me doing this!

Otherwise she'll expect me to do it at home, won't she?

Not matter what job, I take pride. You know what I mean?

I'd rather do a good job.

Rather make sure, when I leave, they're happy.

You know what I mean? Another 10, 15 minutes cleaning up.

Thanks to Scott and his colleagues,

Hazel's damaged ceiling is repaired and it's gone some way

towards fixing her relationship with the council.

Right, obviously, the plasterboard's about done.

-Everywhere's cleaned up.

-Thank you.

-All right.

-Brilliant.

And it looks amazing.

-It looks a lot better than it did before.

-No worries.

-Thank you.

-Right, no worries.

-Thank you very much.

-All right, see you again.

-Thank you.

-See you later.

-Deserve a break, mate. Are we getting a drink?

-Yeah.

-Right.

The workmen, they've been really good - can't fault them.

This time last week, I couldn't even go to sleep because it was...

the fear of it all falling down.

Oh, my stress level has gone down so much!

At least there's light - I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel now.

It's good. It's a good feeling.

Hello, there.

Ten days ago, public protection officer Barry Pilkington

investigated claims about rats and smells coming from a small holding.

You will get rats around areas like this.

Once inside, Barry couldn't smell any offensive odours,

but he did find evidence of rats.

Keen to avoid an infestation, he told the manager

where and how to lay bait.

The rodenticide bait goes here.

The only thing that's going to crawl in around here is Mr Rat.

Now Barry's back to check that action has been taken.

I just want to have a little cast my eye over...this little area,

and also to look at the rodenticide baits

that are in place, just to see if we're getting takes.

It's a lovely warm day. This is a perfect day because, if we were going to get smells, we'd have them.

If we were going to get flies, we'd have them.

The manager of the small holding is joined by the lease-holder.

As you know, we had a complaint with regards to...it's called

statutory nuisance....in relation to flies and odours from here.

With regards to our rat bait, have you been keeping on top of that?

-Mm-hmm.

-You have. We've got some bait underneath that...

-Yeah, it's underneath...

-..that decked area, there, that raised area.

And we've got some behind the...where the

-temporary fuel shelters are...

-Yeah.

-..in-between...

-I'll just have a look, if it's all right?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Barry inspects the area

to make sure the small holders have followed his advice correctly.

What I would say to you is...

..you've put your rat-bait down. If it gets taken, put more down.

If it gets taken, put more down.

Once it stops going, you know you're on top of things.

-That you're trying your best, that's all we can ask.

-Uh-huh.

Happy with the way the rat bait has been laid out,

Barry moves on to the complaint about smells coming from the property.

I've noticed you've got a little bit of a fire-pit here.

-What's happening there? Are you just doing...?

-We're just...

-Barbecue.

..we basically burn the manure off the floor, just to get rid of it, really,

cos we don't want smells and odours.

So, we get rid of it in little amounts.

With regards to your fires, it's the same principal -

if the wind's blowing towards the properties...

-We would never light a fire.

-..don't light a fire.

Ten days on from Barry's original visit,

will he have to take any action against

the owners of the small holding?

I don't think there's any serious issues at all. I'm more than happy.

I think you're on top of things and good luck with it.

Having inspected and advised,

Barry's responded to the original call to the council

and there's no further action to take.

The complaint was odour complaints, flies,

issues with smoke also...and rats.

Now, you know, it's a lovely warm day.

There are no problems with odours, no specific fly problem.

You will get rats where you've got livestock like this,

but the idea is that they must keep on top of it

and I think they are. They've got rodenticide bait down

on the boundary and underneath that little platformed area.

I'm happy with what I've seen.

It's about diversity, really.

It may be that the activities on this particular piece of land

somebody doesn't like.

But, you know, we celebrate diversity,

we want people to feel that they belong here.

As long as they're doing nobody no harm, live and let live.

We'll leave them be.

-Over in Mesnes Park...

-Hello. Morning.

..Wigan Council registrars Paula Clisham and Ann McKeever

are in the eye of a wedding whirlwind.

They've got five ceremonies to complete, all within just six hours.

Are you happy for me to ask you the question to give your daughter away?

Can't wait to get rid of me!

They're one wedding down...

You may kiss the bride.

..but still have four to go.

Now I've got weddings from half past one, quarter past two,

three o'clock and quarter to four.

The scheduled start time for wedding number two has been and gone,

but there's still no sign of the bride.

On this one, we need everyone to run to time today.

With all eyes on the gate, the bride arrives just two minutes late.

Hello. You look lovely.

Hello. Are you OK? I'm Paula.

-I'm going to be doing your ceremony, Nicola.

-Thank you.

So if you want to just go in and then we'll just ask you your questions.

Rather than cracking on with the wedding,

Ann needs to spend ten minutes

getting the all-important paperwork in place,

with bride Nicola's help.

It's vital that the ceremony start time doesn't slip any further

and create a knock-on effect with the other weddings today,

but Paula makes sure everyone stays stress-free.

-Take a deep breath. You look absolutely beautiful.

-Thank you.

And your diamond's lovely. OK, Right...

It's vital to make each couple special

and I do ask each of them how they want the ceremony,

cos it is important. It is their day...

and you want to deliver the right wedding for them.

You all look lovely.

This day will form a milestone in your lives...

With over 300 weddings under her belt,

Paula knows how to keep things ticking along.

You may kiss the bride.

If you'd all like to give a round of applause

to Mr and Mrs Sanderson.

-By the time the guests leave...

-The next wedding's quarter past two.

..there's just 15 minutes until the third wedding is due to start.

Just going to go now and have a see if anybody's arrived.

So, perfect.

The sun is still shining.

Jan? Are you OK? You look beautiful.

This time, bride number three is bang on time,

and Jan and Ian get hitched...without a hitch.

..that you are now husband and wife together.

You may kiss the bride. Congratulations.

One wedding party out...

Done three.

Fourth, yeah. I've got two more.

Yeah.

..and one wedding party in.

But is groom number four, Ryan, as well prepared as Paula?

-Ready as I'll ever be.

-GROOMSMEN LAUGH

It's a good job because Ryan's bride Heather is ten minutes early.

Yes, I just need to ask you a few questions, please.

Could this be where the council officers claw back lost time?

Yes, I'll go and get on with my bit. Thank you.

With all their guests present,

the bride and groom are happy

to start the ceremony ahead of schedule.

Could you all please stand for the bridal party? Thank you.

The emotion's getting to the groom.

(Got any tissues? He's crying.)

But consummate cupid Paula is one step ahead

and keeps the wedding on track.

MUSIC: The One By Kodaline

Ryan, you may kiss the bride.

Happy couple number four,

but Paula and Ann have no time to celebrate.

With guests gone, they're focusing on their fifth and final wedding,

but Paula's still not immune to the emotions of the day.

I nearly went, there.

He was crying, Ryan, and I...

..so happy.

Hello. You look gorgeous.

Back on schedule, all Paula and Ann need to do is stay focused

and make the fifth wedding of the day as special as the first.

Could everybody please stand for the bridal party, please? Thank you.

With the immortal words "I do", the last knot of the day is tied.

It now gives me great pleasure to declare that you are now

husband and wife together.

Five wedding parties are off celebrating,

but the registrar's job isn't done yet.

Paula and Ann head to the town hall...

for their final task of the day.

We're just now putting the register back into the safe.

Signed, sealed and delivered,

Paula and Anne have successfully married five couples in one day.

Ten days ago, environmental health officer Fran

visited an ex-post-office-owner

who'd swapped wrapping parcels for wrapping fish suppers.

It's a family-run business. I've actually started from scratch.

It was Alison's first ever food hygiene inspection

and one she couldn't afford to fail.

Now Alison is waiting for the results.

The top hygiene rating of five will mean a boost for the new fish shop.

A low rating of two, one, or even zero

will mean further inspections and the risk of a bad reputation.

Ideally I'd want all my businesses to score a three, four or five

because that means that there's very limited or no follow-up work.

It's definitely a good thing

for them to score well during an inspection.

For Alison, this inspection marks the final stage in her

journey from post master to restaurant owner

and she's setting the bar high.

-You want salt and vinegar?

-No, just salt, please.

We serve everything to a high standard

and anything less than a five, to me,

you're not at a high standard.

At last, it's the moment of truth.

This is the rating of the health and safety.

Oh, fantastic.

A five! I am over the moon. That's excellent.

Absolutely fantastic!

It feels good to work with a business

and to be able to tell them, following the visit,

that they've managed to score a five,

cos it gives them recognition that they've been doing a good job.

Alison can now proudly display her hygiene certificate for all to see.

Can't believe it. Absolutely made up. I just worried so much...

Just going to make or break you, your business.

So...this is just absolutely fantastic.

Couldn't have...asked for anything better.

From the smallest village to the biggest metropolitan borough,

the UK's council officers work around the clock...

trying to mend broken relations...

The emergency's over. Ceiling's safe. Job done.

..making sure we're all obeying the rules...

There are no flies. There are no odours.

..keeping restaurants hygienic...

Normally it's areas like that where you'd expect there to be build up, but there's nothing there.

..and helping us celebrate the biggest days of our lives.

You may kiss the bride.

All of this when we...

call the council.

The reason I like my job is because I'm educating people

and I'm meeting people, the people of Wigan, the people...

my neighbours, really.