04/04/2012 BBC Wales Today

Welcome to Wales Today. Our top story: The battle to salvage

thousands of litres of fuel on board the stricken ship, wrecked

off Old Colwyn, after a dramatic night-time rescue.

Almost 24 hours on, the salvage effort is still being hampered by

strong winds and question remain Our other headlines tonight: It's

Christmas at Easter. Last week a heatwave and now six inches of snow.

Supermarkets say charging for plastic bags has cut their use by

as much as 90%. We take carrier bags were this rather than pay that

5p. It is a habit now. The Somali seamen from Cardiff who

crewed the ocean liners commandeered for the Falklands.

And gold for Geraint Thomas as Britain's team pursuit cyclists

break the world record in Melbourne. Good evening. Almost 24 hours after

a cargo vessel hit the rocks in heavy seas off the North Wales

coast, the investigation into what exactly happened is underway. The

rescue operation at Llanddulas near Colwyn Bay to winch off eight crew,

involved a helicopter and lifeboats' and led to the closing

of the areas main road, the A55. Tonight, it's the saving of the

ship and the thousands of gallons of fuel on board that is the focus

of attention. Our environment correspondent, Iolo ap Dafydd, is

there for us. Good evening. The wind is still

extremely strong and the sea is rushing back in as the tide has

turned. We will see what happens to this ship later on this evening.

The sea is not as rough as last night but first of all, let's talk

to the Coastguard Agency. Teams have been assessing the ship this

afternoon. What have they found? have been on board and it they've

been looking at the situation with the ship and the fields that

remains on board. It remains intact within the ship. There has been a

small amount lost but there is still quite a quantity on the ship.

The big question is what happens to the diesel on board. How soon

before an assessment can be made when that can be removed? We are

trying to come up with a plant to present to the salvage officer and

the insurer has so they can move forward with the operation.

there a problem with the fact that the ship may well be buffeted again

by this tide as it comes in? At the moment, the ship is upright and it

is stable on the beach. We are hopeful that things will remain the

same with the weather and we can continue with the operation.

idea how long that she could be their? It is very difficult to put

a time limit on that at the moment. We are very hopeful that things can

progress very quickly and they can see some movement on the salvage of

the fuel and the vessel itself. was a dramatic rescue last night.

The salvage effort has been ongoing for most of the day to assess how

soon it can be moved. Daylight and no let-up in the

weather. The ship still hard against the North Wales coast. And

still buffeted by high winds and rough seas. All seven crew were

rescued last night. Today, thoughts returning to the salvage operation.

That rescue last night was no -- was by no means routine. Lifeboats

were first to the scene. This video filmed from one of them shows how

challenging the conditions were. For life but had to observe because

an approach from the sea was impossible. To get that close to

where she was, the risk assessment was made that it was not safe to

approach. We knew a helicopter was on its way so we were providing

cover. That the rescue was possible it will was down to the bravery and

skill of helicopter pilots. The first from Scotland managed to lift

five crew members. When it went back for the remaining two, it's

when she got caught. A second helicopter was called in from

Yorkshire to complete the rescue. During the operations, the

helicopters landed on the A55 and the road remained close until

lunchtime today. Eyewitnesses say they have nothing but praise for

the professionalism of the pilots. The helicopter itself had lit up

the vote so you could see it moving around. It was quite a dramatic

scene. Hats off to the RAF crews. Nobody would want to have been

flying in those conditions last night. It was so cold. And we could

hardly stand up because of the wind. The weather conditions were

atrocious. I was concerned that they may have been fatalities.

pilots their fantastic job. The weather was extremely bad and it

was difficult to rescue seven people off the ship. It was moving

a lot in stormy seas. They were brought here by ambulance and

nobody was injured. The carrier is not unlike this one land which sank

off Anglesey November with the loss of six crew. Both ships had sailed

from the same quarry jetty at Llanddulas. The career is carrying

few diesel. Now the tide has gone out you can see that the ship is

sitting on sand at the bottom of the sea defences. Representatives

of its owner at trying to assess the damage. That information will

be key to Savas up -- to salvage operation. But nothing is likely to

happen without a big improvement in the weather.

So a successful rescue mission last night in ferocious weather. The

focus now of courses on the 40,000 litres of diesel inside that ship

and how to remove it. This is a special conservation area. The

focus and the concern will still be there tonight even though there has

not been any negative impact as yet. The main concern now seems to focus

on fuel oil escaping and affecting the sea and coastline. Some diesel

has escaped but experts in the salvage industry say the good news

is that this is not a heavier more polluting type of fuel. This has

the ring gas oil which is a lighter type of diesel. The bad news is,

yes we've had this spill but the good news is it is a type of oil

that breaks down and will dissipate and you won't have long-lasting

effects. The the situation is not likely to have the same profound

effect as the centre 2000 tonnes of crude oil which has -- escaped from

the see of the tanker which ran aground off Pembrokeshire in 1996.

That was Briton's third largest oil disaster. This is nothing in

comparison to the Sea Empress. It is a small ship with only 24 tons

of fuel oil aboard. The Royal Society for the Protection of birds

has voiced concerns. Liverpool Bay is a special protection area and up

to 10,000, and debts have been seen feeding a mile offshore during the

past week. We remain anxious regarding the consequences to the

potential release of the remaining fuel on board. Late this afternoon,

the Environment Agency confirmed it was advising how best to remove the

remaining oil from the ship. But any impact on the environment so

far it says has been minimal. Any potential pollution is likely to be

contained between Colwyn Bay and Rhyl.

What may change of course is this tide and how it affects the ship

but for now the salvage operation is hopeful that the weather will

improve and they hope they will be able to remove the diesel of that

ship. -- of that ship. What a difference a week makes.

Days after that spring sunshine, many of us woke this morning to

find a blanket of snow. Several inches fell in parts of North and

Mid Wales, prompting the Met Office to issue a weather warning. Roads

were affected and some bus services cancelled. Cemlyn Davies reports.

A Christmas card scene at Easter. This was the village of Kerry this

morning. The wintery conditions proving a challenge to these young

lambs. And it was a white start for other parts of Mid Wales. The snow

has also reached Ceredigion. I am near Aberystwyth where it is still

snowing and the strong winds are causing blizzard conditions. In the

north, motorists awoke to find they had their work cut out and there

was disruption to public transport. The Horseshoe pass was closed

between Llangollen and Llandegla. Throughout the day, many Wales

Today viewers have been snapping away and sending us photos like

these ones showing the conditions in various parts of the country.

The Met Office asked people to 'be aware' and issued a yellow weather

warning. For many, the snow came as a bit of a shock. We arrived back

in Manchester at half past one in the morning and had to abandon the

car halfway up the hill. It was quite a shock. I was not expecting

so much considering last Again was so hot. I like this weather. I was

disappointed this winter when there was no snow. Of course, this time

last week things were very different, as Wales basked in its

warmest March in half a century. Temperatures reached highs of 22C.

Just a few days later, the hats and scarves are out again, though not

everyone it seems is complaining. A full weather forecast with Derek

later, but remember, you can always send us your pictures. We're on

Twitter. Get in touch via the address on your screen. You can

also contact us by e-mail at [email protected].

Charging for carrier bags in Wales has dramatically cut the amount we

use. Figures obtained by BBC Wales from several leading supermarkets

show some stores are reporting a fall in use of up to 90%. Abigail

Neal reports. Would you like a bag? This is what

shoppers expect these days and the answer is a resounding, "No". It's

six months now since the five pence charge came into effect and it

seems the message is getting across. It's no longer second nature now to

expect a bag when we get to the checkout, and the result is that

we're getting through millions fewer of these than we were. In

2009, Welsh shoppers took home around 350 million carrier bags

from the major supermarkets. Since the charge came in back in October

last year, Sainsburys told us they've reduced the number of bags

they get through by 90%. Tesco's report the same figure, though they

say much of this came from their own initiatives pre-dating the levy.

Co-Op have seen an 86% drop and Morrisons a 60% drop. One store

manager in Swansea told me this is because we're either remembering to

bring our own, or switching towards the more sustainable bags for life.

At the service point, our colleagues are encouraged to ask if

the customer would like a bad for life as opposed to a disposable bad.

Generally, the take-up is pretty good. And small though the charge

is, it is proving enough to change our habits. I keep them in the car

and at home. I always remember. It is a habit now. If I remember the

carrier bags, I don't mind that if I have to pay another 5p, I mind.

Save the Children is one of the charities to benefit. Morrisons

supermarkets donate all of their five pence charges to them and in

the last six months that's added up to �135,000. Because we are

receiving the money, we can be more ambitious about the number of

children we can help. We can do more and at a time when family

budgets are tight, there is a small amount of money being spread and

lots of shoulders. It seems a little charge really has made a big

difference. A school IT manager has been jailed

for two years at Swansea Crown Court, after being caught with

nearly 400,000 indecent images of children. Jeffrey Gravell, had

stolen computers from Coedcae Comprehensive in Llanelli and used

them to download the pictures and videos at his home. Investigators

said they were certain that no pupils were involved.

One of the most senior doctor's leaders in Wales has warned of the

dangers of joining one of the rising number of "backstreet" cage

fighting clubs. The sport has become more popular in the last few

years, especially in Newport and the Gwent Valleys, where there's

been an increase in the number of smaller, unregulated clubs. Jordan

Davies has the story. This is the founder of the fart and

clubbing Blaenau Gwent and he demonstrated takedown move. He has

been teaching mixed martial arts, the official name for Cage fighting,

for 20 years. Fighters he trained for months before a match. I can

think of three instances where somebody has had no training at all

but they have approached a promoter and said I will fight tonight. The

promoter has said yes. Not even the Association of mixed martial-arts

knows how many clubs there are in Wales. But if you look online there

are plenty of website pointing people in the direction of smaller

local groups that often have no professional tuition, no insurance

and no official backing. Tournaments are now held regularly

here. There are thought to be 20 to 30 clubs in Newport and the Gwent

valleys and roughly 50 across Wales. But the majority of these will be

and regulated. Dr David Bailey represents GPs will the country and

he says these smaller and registered clubs are particularly

dangerous. If things are not registered and don't have insurance,

the risks are increased substantially because there is not

proper cover and protections for people who get heard. The dream for

many years to make it professionally. Cage fighting now

reaches a billion home -- homes worldwide. These young fighters

will learn how to get this safely but there are a growing number of

people who are not and are putting themselves and those they face at

risk. Much more to come before 7:00pm:

Gold for Geraint Thomas as Britain's cyclists break the world

record in Australia. Can they repeat it at the Olympics?

Now, the latest in our series marking 30 years since the

Falklands War. Tonight, the merchant seaman who sailed

thousands of miles with the taskforce to help re-take the

islands from Argentina. These civilians found themselves at the

heart of the fighting as passenger and container ships were

requisitioned. Some of the engine room crew were Somalis from Cardiff.

Nick Palit reports. It is the spring of 1982 and

shipping companies desperately need crew for the ocean-going liners.

Not for the usual cruise around the Med but volunteers to be part of

the naval task force setting sail to retake the Falkland Islands from

Argentina. These Somalian Seaman from Cardiff were experienced

engine room crew and jumped up the chance to defend British interests.

As they boarded the coach in the Bute Town area, they were given

this warning of the dangers that lie ahead. If it comes to a sea

battle, the candidate will be possibly working within a war-zone.

30 years on and we have found some of those crewmen from the coach

party. Now 82, this man still lives in Cardiff Bay. They had the vivid

4,000 soldiers were the passengers. The nation's and spare parts filled

the hole. The ship was an obvious target but it was navigated into

shallow waters so that troops could disembark and quickly get ashore.

The ship came under fire from Argentinian planes. When we were

attacked by airplanes, we were targeted through four times. I

witnessed one ship being hit and sunk. It was just metres away from

Our ship and it was a horrendous experience. What are the abiding

memories of that time? Usually, I was never involved in a war and

this was the first time and my biggest memory is the fear and

worry a had of not being able to come back to my family. For the in

the generation, there is considerable pride. This man says

his father was an extremely brave man who deserves his medal for

taking part in the conflict. went straight into the heart of the

war-zone. They were a major target for the Argentinian air force. He

knew that and he was very brave. Sammy about the medal you are

wearing? It is a medal from the Queen. It is very precious.

ship returned to a hero's welcome. A flotilla of votes escorted it

into Southampton. Three decades on, they still feel they are lucky they

made it home unscathed. Cardiff cyclist, Geraint Thomas,

will head to the Olympics full of confidence after he helped Great

Britain to Team Pursuit gold at the World Track Championships in

Melbourne. The British quartet broke the world record as they beat

favourites Australia on their own turf. Ashleigh Crowter reports.

The signs were good for Geraint Thomas and his team. They'd

produced the fastest ever qualifying time in a heat to set-up

the final that everyone wanted. Great Britain hadn't beaten

Australia in a major competition since their gold medal at the last

Olympics in Beijing and so they needed to be at their absolute best.

The lead changed hands in the first half of the four kilometre race. At

the key stage of the race, Thomas imposed his power and experience.

We are enter the final four laps. And from that point, the British

team never lost the lead, although in the end it came down to just 11

hundredths of a second. It reminds me of Manchester. We broke the

world record then as well. We just have to keep pushing. It is all

part of the process. We are happy but there is more to come. The new

world champions appear to be peaking just at the right time.

What price now that Geraint Thomas will become the first Welshman to

win golds at successive Olympics since three day eventer Richard

Meade exactly 40 years ago? Another man hoping for back-to-back

gold medals is Tom James. But he still doesn't know if he'll be able

to defend his Olympic title. The rower from Coedpoeth near Wrexham

has been included in the British squad for the World Cup Series, but

could be left out of the coxless fours boat for the Olympics. Tomos

Dafydd reports from Team GB's rowing headquarters near Reading.

It's Britain's strongest rowing team ever, say the coaches. And

it's a sure bet the rowers picked for the world cup regattas,

starting in Serbia next month, will also make it to the Olympics.

The coaches say the rowers have been picked on current form not

reputation. For Tom James, it means despite being an Olympic champion,

he'll have to fight for the last remaining spot in the men's fours.

It's his preferred boat and Britain's best chance of winning

gold on the water, but if he fails to make it, he'll have to settle

for a place in the men's eight. So, would that be a demotion? You could

see it that way but we have such a strong team, if I win a gold medal

in the eight then that would not be a demotion. While Tom was picking

up gold four years ago, Victoria Thornley had barley set foot in a

boat, but now she's got a place in the women's quad at the world cup

regattas and the 6'4'' former model from Wrexham is a step closer to

earning a place at the Olympics. Everybody's ambition is to win an

Olympic gold medal. That is our mission. Chris Bartley will be in

the lightweight men's four. After weeks of individual trials, the

stress has taken its toll. Just to get your seat in the vote has been

really hard. We have had such a strong group. It has been hard

physically and mentally. Olympic places are within reach.

Line-ups will be confirmed after the world cup regattas and rowers

will know for sure at start of June if they've made it to the London

games. We saw the snow earlier. Any more

We saw the snow earlier. Any more on the way Derek?

We're not quite out of the woods yet. Tomorrow will be much better

but what a day it's been today. Arctic winds, rain, snow and gales.

Most of the snow fell on the high ground in Mid Wales, the north and

east. Geraint Edwards in Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog in Denbighshire

measured 15cm, six inches of snow in the village with blizzards on

the Berwyn Mountains. Meanwhile, Anglesey enjoyed sunshine this

afternoon with a temperature of 8C. Now snow in April is not unusual.

In fact, a white Easter is more common than a white Christmas.

Tonight, rain, sleet and snow will move to the south and the east.

Some snow for the Black Mountains. The north will be dry and clear

with some frost and icy patches. The wind slowly easing.

Temperatures freezing on high ground. -4C is possible in the

north with snow cover. So tomorrow, a cold start but a much better day.

Lovely in the north. Some frost first thing but bright, crisp and

sunny. The wind lighter than today as well. Southern Powys and the

south fairly cloudy but dry. Feeling chilly with a north-

easterly breeze. So, much drier tomorrow. The best of the sunshine

in the north, Ceredigion and on the west coast. Cloudier in the south

and east and parts of Powys. Temperatures higher than today. The

wind lighter as, so feeling less cold. Tomorrow night will be dry

and cold with a widespread frost. Some cloud spreading from the north

after midnight. On Good Friday, the south dry for most of the day.

Bright for a time but clouding over. A little rain in the north. The

rest of the Easter weekend is rest of the Easter weekend is