29/07/2011 BBC Wales Today

The M4 lorry fire caused misery for thousands of motorists but, tonight,

Wrexham Football Club say they've run out of money - staff and

players won't be paid this month. The fans are being asked to pitch

in to pay the players' wages. Elliot can now talk after going to

a special unit for autistic children, but it's threatened with

closure. He has made massive progress. It

would be devastating to his future if that did happen.

And yours for a thousand pounds - the deal offered to campaigners

fighting to save this church. Good evening from the National Pool

in Swansea where, tonight, our Olympic hopeful is a swimmer who

calls this place her second home. Good evening. It caused traffic

chaos and misery for thousands of commuters. Some queued for hours

just to travel a few miles. On Tuesday, a lorry fire in the

Brynglas Tunnels closed one of the main routes into Wales but, tonight,

the road has re-opened. These pictures from inside the tunnel

show the extent of the damage - the temperature so high, the tarmac

melted. Well, Kate Scott-Williams is in the newsroom with the latest.

What's the latest? This afternoon, we've heard from

the Minister for Transport, Carl Sergeant, who's confirmed that the

tunnel is now fully reopened in both directions. As you can see

here, traffic is moving well through the tunnels. There's a

30mph speed limit in the westbound tunnel as there is only partial

lighting. If you remember, it was this tunnel where the lorry caught

fire. Temperatures were so high that it melted the tarmac and

destroyed the overhead lights. At the time, they said the tunnels

could be closed for weeks, but around a hundred people have been

working around the clock over the last 72 hours to clear debris and

examine the tunnel to make sure it's safe. They've resurfaced part

of the tunnel, they've replaced the white lines and the cats eyes on

the road and they've cleaned the tunnel. And today engineers gave it

the green light. There are restrictions as I said - 30mph, and

drivers must have their headlights Kate, it's caused traffic problems

for days. Obviously, this news will come as a

huge relief to motorists. During Tuesday's rush hour, the M4 around

the area was closed both ways. Some of them were left stranded for up

to two hours and queues stretched back for nine miles. Amazingly, no-

one was injured. The incident has re-opened the debate on whether an

M4 relief road is needed. But, tonight, some relief for motorists,

especially those going on holiday, but the 30mph speed restriction

will stay in place until they're able to carry out improvements to

the tunnel over the coming weeks, which will mean a number of night-

time closures. Six members of staff have been

suspended at a care home in Gwynedd after a report found several

failings. The Care and Social Services Inspectorate, who visited

Cerrig Camu in Dolgellau, found rooms smelling of urine and a poor

standard of care. It followed an anonymous complaint that one of the

residents was being neglected. The company, which owns the home, says

it takes client welfare extremely seriously.

A sex offender from Powys who was jailed indefinitely earlier this

year has had his conviction overturned. Anthony Milsom, who's

62 and from Newtown, pleaded guilty to more than 40 sex-related

offences, dating back to the early 1990s. He's now been sentenced to

three-and-a-half years at the Court of Appeal after the judge said his

crimes did not justify an open- ended sentence from which he might

never be released. It's a new low for a club that

seems to be stumbling from one financial crisis to the next.

Wrexham's fans are being asked to pay the players' wages because the

club can't afford it. More than 100 support staff will also miss-out on

pay this month. Carwyn Jones has commented on the club's problems,

saying it is sad news. Matthew Richards is at the Racecourse for

Thanks. First there was the news that Wrexham FC's stable-mates,

Crusaders, wouldn't be playing in the top flight for the time being,

and now the future of the football club itself has become even less

certain. The players have revolted, saying that without being paid,

they wouldn't play in two friendly games. And, to cap it all, in just

a few days, the Football Conference will want assurances that Wrexham

is actually match fit for next season.

The team were told at training yesterday that the club wouldn't be

able to pay them this month. Dean Saunders says his team held a

meeting and decided to down tools, missing two friendly matches,

including one last night at Colwyn Bay. But, this afternoon, the

Wrexham Supporters' Federation has appealed to fans to make donations.

The federation has approached us about any interim fund to help

players with wages. That will help the supporters' trust in being able

to conclude the deal. The club's plight has even attracted comment

from the First Minister, who says he's saddened by events at Wrexham,

but that the best way forward is for it to be run by people with its

best interests at heart. The Football Conference is

investigating the problems. It will want to know soon if the club will

be able to take part in the Blue Square Premier next season. There

are 115 people employed here from office workers, bar staff, caterers

and the people who maintain the crowds do. In the past they have

been told they might be paid a deal too late but this month they will

not get paid at all. Former manager Dixie McNeil says whatever is

causing the hold-up, time is running out. The deal is taking so

long between the trust and it looks as if patience is running out. On

the website, the statement was, we have gone past our sell-by date, we

are not going to pay any more money to the football club. A deal has

got to be done very quickly. Crusaders players have at least

been paid. The Rugby Football League stepped in, offering the

club an advance on its broadcasting revenue. The football side will be

hoping fans dig deep too. Matthew, what's causing the delay

in signing a deal? It is all very complicated but the latest

participant in this saga is the university. They want to buy at

this ground, and that is the expensive part. The support

distrust are only interested in taking over the club, and that

would be for a nominal fee. But Glyndwr University are following

all the correct procedures. They are carrying out a due diligence

process and that this takes some time. It is also complicated by the

fact there is not just one owner. BBC Wales understands the Rugby

Football League also owns a large portion of the ground itself.

new season is just around the corner. Wrexham need to get their

house in order before the first game. The Football Conference have

already started to make their inquiries but we understand they

are going to try to meet some delegates from Wrexham next week to

get some answers because, as we saw with the Crusaders, they need to

say at a particular deadline, we will be able to play in the league

this season. We have only got two weeks until the first home game is

Scheduled at Wrexham. In the meantime, we have had the local

Assembly Member saying perhaps the Football Association could step in

to try to pay the players' wages. She has also asked the Football

Association of Wales to lend its support to all the parties.

Council officers in Flintshire have been accused of presenting

inaccurate information to justify closing a unit for autistic

children. The unit at Westwood Primary School in Buckley faces

closure after officers said it hadn't succeeded. But a professor

at Bangor University says his research suggests the claims are

wrong. Mark Hannaby has the story. This five-year-old is autistic. He

has difficulties communicating and interacting with people. His mother

says he has been helped enormously by a teaching method called Applied

behavioural analysis at the primary She fears Elliott's progress may be

reversed if the unit closes. That has happened. There is a young boy

who went to the class and he was put in a bid Generic special school.

He spot speaking with informants of been there. That is not what I want

to happen to Eliot because he has made such massive progress, it

would be devastating to his future. Flintshire council claimed the

autism unit has not worked. A report says it restricted the

development of independence skills and left children with increased

dependency on adult support. Those claims are denied by the professor

from Bangor University who previously oversaw the work there.

We have got good outcome data from those children and we have

presented that data at conferences and should the data with the

council and the school with a unit is based. I am pretty sure that

information is available and clearly shows that children did

very well. The chair of the Assembly's autism group, argue

councillors have not been accurately informed. Absolutely.

There are major questions to be asked about the evidence which

appears to have been presented to elected members. A lack of any

objective evidence based, suggestions rather than fact, about

outcomes, about the numbers of children who need this kind of

provision, confusion even over what autism is. A spokesman for the

council said the unit can support 10 pupils but that demand has gone

down, with only two pupils due to attend in the next school year.

Molly Johnson learnt to communicate through sign language at the unit.

Her questions -- parents questioned claimed that there is insufficient

demand for it. We know from first- hand experience that they are not

telling parents about the unit. If the parents don't know about the

unit, they are not going to demand it. There was a joint venture

between Wrexham and Flintshire put Wrexham have decided not to send

any children there because it is closing, and Flintshire claim it is

closing because no one is sending any children there. Councillors

vote on the unit's future on 20th October. Supporters will try to

persuade them a disservice to stay open. Gashed the service needs to

stay open. And Flintshire Council has

responded tonight, saying all parents of pupils with Autistic

Spectrum Disorder in the area are made aware of the full range of

provision available, including the unit at Westwood Primary School.

Sarah Lambert is the Head of Policy from the National Autistic Society.

What sort of pressure are you seeing on autism units like this

one, given the tough financial situation for councils across

Wales? There are financial constraints on councils at the

moment but what of the action plan in Wales shows is that all local

authorities should be gathering together local stakeholders and

probably setting out plans for their local autism provision. If

they do that properly, they can save money in the long run, because

if you invest early in autism, it prevents other problems developing

at a later stage. How important is it that services like this are

accessible to people who need it? Parents tell us they want a range

of provision for their children. Every child's autism is different.

Some can flourish in mainstream education while others need

specialist support. What is important is that there is that

knowledge and expertise and that they can have a choice between

provision, whether mainstream or The Church in Wales has offered to

sell a Rhondda community its church for �1,000. Protesters have been

camped out at All Saints in Maerdy for almost a month to try to get it

reopened. Today, they've been offered the chance to buy it for a

fraction of its market value. The parishioners have a big decision to

make. They wanted 12 months to raise the money needed for repairs.

At times, things have become heated. We are only asking for 12 months.

The Archbishop of Wales's first offer to sell the church was turned

down. Today's further concession means the community who can own it

for �1,000. I think it is a brilliant opportunity for the

community to own the church. Obviously, we need to take charge

of it and to get it repaired and get it up to its former glory.

many, it has become a second home. Up to this week, protesters have

been sleeping at the church. But there are conditions attached to

the sale. There are legalities involved. We are looking for

somebody who is experienced in the law. We need legal advice.

Church needs a lot of money to be spent done it. A survey this week

indicated that making the building Structured a sound would cost less

than the original estimate. But it has suffered from deterioration of

the fabric on the outside and there is dampness getting into it. Other

than that, it is in pretty good condition. There are a few areas

where work is required. If they address the main areas to make sure

it is weather type then that would go a long way. That would leave a

lot of internal repairs to pay for. A public meeting are now be held on

Monday to decide the next move. Still to come on Wales Today: All

tonight's sport from Swansea's National Pool.

Finally unveiled, we hear from Cardiff City's new signing Kenny

Miller. We're following her on the road to

London. Jazz Carlin shares her dream of swimming at the London

Two men who earned hundreds of thousands of pounds by illegally

storing up to 10,500 tonnes of waste have escaped prison. Barry

Hermon and Dennis Morgan ran Able Skips in Newport. They consistently

breached the limits of waste they were allowed at their site. Able

Skips of Newport was first issued with a permit to store controlled

waste in 2004, but it wasn't long before it was in the sights of the

Environment Agency. Between 2006 and 2008, despite warnings to clear

waste, a prosecution and fines totalling almost �30,000, the

company consistently exceeded it's allowance of 1,000 tonnes, at it's

height reaching over 10,000. After admitting 20 charges related to

environmental crimes, directors Barry Hermon and Dennis Barry were

today given suspended prison sentences of 10 months each.

think it sends an important message to anybody who is operating

illegally that the Environment Agency is tenacious and we will

bring them to court and justice will be done. From above, the scale

of the waste kept at an industrial estate in Newport is clear. The BBC

were taken onto the site by the Environment Agency in 2009. Waste

that could no longer fit into the unit was piling up outside. At the

height of the operation, the directors of Able Skips say they

were taking in income of a thousand pounds a day. There is a level of

activity at of this nature for that we have a great deal of

intelligence and we will bring these cases to court when we find

them. Both men have been ordered to pay back almost half a million

pounds of assets between them. Dennis Barry, seen here leaving

court, was told he escaped time in prison, in part due to the recent

ill health of his fellow defendant. In sentencing the pair, Judge

Nicholas Cooke QC said they had been motivated by greed and that

nobody should have sympathy for them being left penniless due to

this prosecution. He added that had this case been dealt with quicker,

they would've faced a prison Jobs could be at risk if the

National Eisteddfod is forced to make further savings. That's the

warning tonight from its Chief Executive. Ahead of this evening's

opening concert in Wrexham, Elfed Roberts says the festival has

tightened its belt as much as it can. The Welsh Government says it's

committed to the festival but the Eisteddfod must consider its

priorities. We are hoping that people will turn up to see what a

wonderful sight this is an to see everything we have prepared for

them. We will take it from there. That is the only thing we can do.

Derek and I will be at Wrexham next week, bringing you all the news

from the Maes. Let's head to Swansea now and the

National Pool. Claire has all the day's sport.

$$WHITEGood evening. Yes, pool-side tonight here in Swansea. We'll be

hearing from the Welsh Olympic hopeful who calls this place her

second home in just a moment. First, rugby news. Wales play England next

weekend in their first World Cup warm up match and today, forwards

Andy Powell and Jonathan Thomas have been re-called to the squad.

The pair had been excluded from Wales' second training camp in

Poland, but they'll now be available for selection for the two

matches against England and one against Argentina in August.

There's still no place in the 39 man squad for Blues scrum-half

Richie Rees. Football. This is a city about to

embark on life in the Premier League. Swansea City say Leroy Lita

has agreed personal terms to join them on a three-year contract. The

26-year-old striker is expected in the city on Tuesday for a medical

and could face Celtic a day later. Meanwhile Cardiff's new striker

Kenny Miller has finally been unveiled.

With their Premier League debut little more than a fortnight away,

Swansea City now seem on the verge of adding another quality striker

to their squad. Leroy Lita is 26 years old and a former England

under 21 international with a decent goal-scoring record. He'll

have a medical at Swansea next week after agreeing a fee of �1.75

million with Middlesbough. Elsewhere Cardiff City's new

striker was introduced to the media today. Scottish international Kenny

Miller explained why he joined after a short-lived spell at

Turkish side Bursaspoor. For me, it was an opportunity to get across

here. I was really excited to come and speak to the manager. Everybody

speaks good words about them. They have a fantastic reputation. Fans

are hoping he'll now form a prolific partnership with another

recent signing, Robert Earnshaw. They are both good players and they

are very experienced. They will make a good combination. This year,

they have both captained their country and that speaks volumes. We

have to cut and wanting to come to play to -- with us. It's only nine

days until Cardiff's first competitive match away at West Ham.

But tomorrow they'll have real test when Italian Seria A side Parma are

the visitors to the Cardiff City Stadium.

All this week on Wales Today we've been marking a year to go until the

Olympic Games by looking at five Welsh hopefuls, all with a dream of

getting there. One lady who spends most of her time here at the

National Pool is swimmer Jazz Carlin. She spends almost 24 hours

in this pool every week. She's at the World Championships at the

moment in China where she's been having a tough time, but they don't

call her the pitbull for nothing. She's determined to be in London

next year. She is the glamourous face of swimming. But it is the

pool where she is still most comfortable. With the Olympic Games

less than one year away, it is all she can think about. It gives you

goose bumps. I have been two major meets and the an Olympic Games is

the big one. Fingers crossed I can be there. Training means 23 hours a

week in the water and around five hours in the gym and six hours of

physio in preparation of the big competitions. Illness means she has

had a difficult World Championships. She failed to reach the final of

the 800 metres today. She has won silver with team GB. For Wales, she

has had success at the Commonwealth Games. Everyone says is at a bad

thing to have such strong competition. That is a good thing.

It spurs me on even further. Racing the best in the world in my home

country events definitely helps because it prepares me to face the

rest of the world. She is under the guidance of a world renowned

Californian coach. His sessions may be like a maths session but they

work. Right now one of their best events she is ranked 5th or 6th in

the world. Realistically, she could have a shot at her a medal if she

stays healthy and trains well. started swimming at a young age and

says family support is vital. But not everyone in the family is a

water baby. My mother hates swimming. She is scared of water.

My father likes to come for a swim. But they do manage to come up and

watch me a swim. It is nice to have that support from them and to know

your home town or being around you and they say well done. The Olympic

trials our next match in the Olympic pool. She desperately wants

to be there. It is definitely what we are hoping for. We have been

training our whole lives to go out there.

Just down the road at St Helen's Glamorgan's cricketers having a

Plenty of action here tonight. Swimming club racing this weekend.

Back to the studio. The weather's looking good for the

weekend for most of us. Here's It has been a pretty cloudy day

today. The satellite picture picked it up very nicely. Thick cloud

sitting across Wales. Some bright as developing in the West.

Overnight, the whole mass of cloud slowly shifts southwards. It will

leave some clear spells. With the clearer skies and the light winds,

this is where we will have some of the lowest temperatures. Further

south, we keep the remnants of the weather front and a thicker cloud.

A milder night to come. For the first half of the weekend, it is

dominated by a high pressure. It is trying to keep this weather front

at bay. It looks as if it will be successful by Sunday. It may be

cloudy on Saturday to start. The cloud will break and sunshine will

come through. For July can -- for July, it to return pretty warm. A

fine end to the day and a lovely evening. Overnight, it stays

largely dry. Overnight lows dipping to around 12 Celsius. On Sunday,

the sign of that weather front starts to approach from the West.

Thicker cloud developing throughout the day. Cooler in the West and a

few spots of rain. The best of any bright s will be in the east. For

the weekend, not looking too bad. It will turn more and settled on

Monday and Tuesday. All in all, the weekend weather is not looking too